Safe Haven
by imagine.believe
Summary: Echo Town is not your regular town: its residents are actually magical creatures you could find in myths and tales. They have one common ground: they are outcasts, and Echo Town is their safe haven. What would happen when two mortals, outcasts themselves, somehow find their way to this town to seek refuge? Can Echo Town be their safe haven, too? Or will it be their end?
1. Journey Through the Forest

**_So, the idea of this story doesn't come from me, but rather from my friend, whom you might know as Akikaze Ryo - Rain55 (ah yes, we are friends in real life). Of course I wrote this with her permission. ^^_**

**_Actually, some of you might have noticed I started a new story on Dragon's Tears series. I have decided to discontinue it (I only posted the first chapter) in favor of this story._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon. This story will include references, intended or intentional, to other works related to the subject in discussion. I do not own them either. All rights go to the rightful owner of respective materials. I understand that this site will not archive entry based on Anne Rice's works, but there could be some parts in future chapters that might be construed as referencing to her works._**

**_With that said, please enjoy! ^^_**

* * *

_Only a few had ever heard the name Echo Town, and less knew of its location. However, everyone who needed shelter, a safe haven, always found their way to this settlement._

_And when we say 'everyone', we do mean… everyone._

* * *

"Are you sure it's here?" her sister glanced once again at the map. "There's nothing on the map…"

Reine tightened her grip around Gwen's hand. "They do say the town is quite… hard to find."

Gwen bit her lower lip. Her palm began sweating.

"Are you tired?" Reine asked concernedly. She began to think that their plan was too rash, or even insane.

However, Gwen shook her head. "I couldn't stand them anymore, either."

"That doesn't mean we… I mean—"

"Reine, _I_ chose to go with you," Gwen interjected calmly. "Besides, remember what the doctor said? The chemo isn't really working anymore."

Reine looked around, trying to capture as wide landscape as possible, as they kept walking. Despite what the map had drawn, somehow Reine felt that they were going to the right direction. Her gut feelings—if she could call it so—told her that they were going to find it: their safe haven.

Actually, if the sisters had not been too focused on their search, they would find the forest they were in to be quite an apt description of 'safe haven', in a way. The trees stood tall over them, filtering the sunlight so that they wouldn't be overwhelmed. Then, there were the wildflowers of various kinds and colors spread across the ground. The spring breeze carried these scents, sweet and light—a change from the bitingly cold winter still air that was still fresh in their memories.

The pinkette felt her fringe fell down, covering her left eye, but she didn't bother to sweep it back. It made no difference to her, anyway, since she had been blind in her left eye for about five years now.

Looking back, that was when everything turned south for both of them. They had been living with their aunt's family since their parents were killed in a car accident. Then, there was Gwen's sickness, which seemed to win her over slowly but surely despite all the efforts they had done to keep it at bay.

Their aunt and uncle often insinuated of how heavy medical bills these days every chance they got, and their cousins were being less than cordial as well. None of them could be Gwen's bone marrow donor—the sisters doubted they would even if they could, though. When the oncologist told them that the current chemo wasn't working as well as it's supposed to, they grumbled a lot. Prior to the accident, Reine took up part-time jobs to help cover the medical bills—at least enough to keep a roof over their heads. However, after the accident, she was sacked while still adapting to live with only her right eye.

_That accident…_

Her head hurt every time she thought of it, so she tried not to. She had enough to think about even without that accident; why dwelling in the past when you have your present and future to think about?

"Reine, look at that!"

Gwen's voice snapped her out from her mind and she immediately looked forward. The path in front of them was covered in fog, although it was supposed to be a sunny day. Reine frowned and turned her head slightly to the left; if they were to continue their journey, they had to step into the fog.

"Should we turn back?" Gwen asked.

The nearest town would be a three-hour walk, plus another hour uphill journey. Gwen's wavering voice told Reine that it might be not a good idea. Plus, something—her gut feelings again—told her that they were already near. That safe haven they were looking for was across, if not within, that fog.

"We'll take a break here."

"Huh?"

"Perhaps the fog would be thinner then."

Gwen nodded; her soles began to feel sore, anyway. They sat down under a nearby tree after putting down their luggage. Gwen watched her sister from the corner of her eyes; Reine had adapted very well to her current circumstances such that no one could really tell that she was half-blind—as long as they didn't approach her from her left, that is. Gwen then glanced at her palm; she remembered the oncologist's warning: _Try not to bruise, much less bleed, yourself._

Looking at her palm now, it seemed that she got paler and paler no matter how obediently she had followed that warning.

Half an hour later, the fog showed no signs of dissipating while the sisters were ready to continue their journey. They put their backpacks on again, and Reine held her sister's hand.

Looking at the fog squarely, she said: "Don't ever let go, okay?"

* * *

Dunhill looked far away to the path that would lead him into the forest. His first thought was to go to Rosario—or Rio, as she'd preferred to be called—to confirm his hunch. Besides, he would need her help if it was true, anyway.

Thus, he walked to the farm, placed at far south of the town; she should still be there at this time of the day.

And he was right; Rio was tending to her crops when he arrived. Her farm produced the best crops in the region—the greenest he had ever seen for himself. Well, considering that she _was _an earth nymph, it shouldn't come as a surprise, anyway.

"Rio!" he called out. The farmer turned her head and waved excitedly, "Dunhill!" she said. She took off her cow-print cowboy hat while walking towards him, letting her bright yellow hair being blown free by the spring breeze.

"Anything I could help you with?" she asked in a friendly tone.

"I think someone will come soon," he told her.

Rio closed her eyes and she stood still for a moment. When Dunhill saw those clear blue eyes again, he knew that his hunch wasn't off. "There's an empty space next to the salon. I think it will fit a cottage. Don't worry, I already have everything I need."

"Thank you so much, Rio."

Rio smiled. "I think you should pick him, or her, up. I'm curious as well."

"You're right."

Dunhill left the farm for the forest, on his way to the Mist. The Mist, located far inside the forest, was the barrier that had protected the town ever since its early years. He knew, however, despite the strong ancient magic he had employed in creating the Mist, stories had somehow been spread among the mortals about this town. People called the town a 'safe haven'—some would even venture to name it as 'Echo Town', a reference to its elusive nature, perhaps.

He should've known better about humans, but perhaps he had been removed from them for too long that he began to forget.

When he arrived in front of the Mist, he put his hand on it, slowly dissipating the magical fog. Two figures appeared from it—two young females, one noticeably paler than the other.

"You must be new around here," he greeted them amicably.

They turned their heads and looked at him at the same time.

The first young woman, the one with brighter complexion and sturdier build, stood in front of her companion, effectively shielding her from him. Her pink hair seemed to be incongruous to the kind of aura she emitted—a single flower amidst scorching lava. Her eyes were leafy green, another of her peculiarity.

After centuries doing what he was doing, he thought he should've been open-minded. He wondered what she could be—another nymph, perhaps? _No, no… never seen a nymph with this kind of aura,_ he thought. Yet, he was sure that he had felt this kind of aura before—not identical, perhaps, but close enough to be considered 'similar' at the very least.

"What are you staring at?" the young woman asked. There was a hint of defensiveness in her tone, something that he often encountered every time a new resident-to-be appeared.

"I'm sorry," he said in a conciliatory tone. "I was wondering whether you are looking for Echo Town."

"You know about it?"

"Yes, of course. I live there."

That didn't put her guard down. Her brows—pink, proving that her hair was natural—were still furrowed tensely. She glared at him, her eyes staring straight into his.

Dunhill saw the other girl put her hand on the pinkette's shoulder. She turned around and they talked in a low voice. Their conversation ended swiftly, with now the pale girl seemed to be in charge. "Do you mind… showing us the way?" she asked gently, smiling.

"Of course not," Dunhill stretched his hand out. "Do you need help with your luggage?"

"I got this, thanks," the pinkette replied curtly while adjusting the bag slung over her shoulder. However, she glanced at the other woman with a worried look, who simply gave a small nod and a small smile.

The three of them walked in silence along the forest path, with Dunhill leading the way. "It's a small town, and we always welcome new residents, as long as they comply with this one rule."

"What?"

"Be open-minded," he said. "We have people from various backgrounds. Clashes are imminent if we're not being open-minded."

"Oh…"

"That leads me to my question…" Dunhill turned around to face the two women right before the town's entrance. "What are you?"

Reine and Gwen frowned. _What kind of question is that?!_

Dunhill saw their reluctance to reply. "You don't have to answer it," he assured them. "Just remember… be open-minded, okay?"

_Be open-minded._

At that point of time, none of the sisters realized how important it truly was.

* * *

_Be open-minded._

_What will happen to the sisters next?_

_Stay tuned to find out!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^_

**_A/N: by the way, I'm quite curious about what character do you think will be what creature! Please do tell me what you think! ^^_**


	2. Welcome to Echo Town

_teamBLAZE: thanks for the encouragement! ^^_

* * *

Their first impression of Echo Town was… quiet. The road—made of stone—was relatively empty. Nevertheless, if someone happened to pass by, he or she would always greet them with a smile. All in all, not a bad town to settle in.

They turned at the intersection and found a blonde woman standing in front of a small house. The blonde woman waved her hand excitedly at them; Reine found her cow print cowboy hat to be entertaining, at the very least.

When they arrived at the blonde woman, Dunhill gestured towards the house. "You can stay here," he told them.

Gwen and Reine blinked in surprise.

"Oh, by the way, this is Rio."

The blonde girl grinned at them. "I hope you like it."

"She built this house."

"And if you need reparation, you can just tell me!" Rio added. "I'd appreciate it if you have the materials with you already, though. You can get the blueprints from Rebecca, the architect."

"How… about the rent?" Reine asked. "We… don't have much for now, but…"

"Relax," Dunhill interposed gently. "We don't take rents here. We don't do lease, either. You can just stay."

"What?"

Rio smiled. "This is how we run the town," she explained. "You can stay as long as you like, but you must follow that one rule…_ be open-minded_."

_Be open-minded_—they sure had heard this phrase enough for today.

It was then the door next to their house was opened. The four pairs of eyes turned towards the next building and a man appeared. He seemed to notice the strangers and smiled as he made his way towards them. "Well, well, wouldn't I just _love_ this kind of distraction?" he snickered.

Reine saw Rio nudged—elbowed—him; he laughed it off. "Seems like we're going to be neighbors. I'm Allen, and I have a salon over there," he pointed at the building he just came from—two floors with blue roof. "Feel free to come to solve your bad hair day."

Reine wasn't exactly paying attention to what he said—unlike Gwen—but suddenly she felt a pull at the left side of her head. She jerked up, but then realized the pull was caused by Allen taking a tress of her hair and brought it forward. "Hmm… rose hair… unique, but you don't seem to have taken care of this crown of yours properly, huh? What do you say of free trial with my experienced hands?"

"No, thanks," the pinkette pulled her hair back and gathered them to her right side, where she could see them.

Gwen couldn't help but to stare at him ever since he came out. He was a redhead—his was a deep red, the color of blood—while his skin came off as slightly paler than Dunhill and Rio, which made his hair stood out even more. _Did he dye it? He has a salon,_ she thought.

Suddenly, she found his icy blue eyes were staring at her. "Do you like what you see?" he smirked teasingly.

"A—I'm sorry!" Gwen apologized almost immediately. "I didn't mean to stare."

"It's okay, I know it's hard _not_ to stare at me."

Gwen swore she could feel Reine rolling her eyes at this point of time. Gwen offered her hand. "My name is Gwen."

Allen took her hand. His hand felt slightly cold against hers—perhaps his salon was equipped with air-con?

"And this is my sister, Reine."

"I hope we can be good neighbors," Allen smiled. "See you girls later. Bye, Rio, Dunhill."

With that, Allen left to the forest. "He makes his own hair products from natural ingredients. Shampoo, conditioner, dye… everything," Rio explained. "If you have some time to spare, it's not a bad idea to go to his place, actually."

_Job, of course._

"Is there… any vacancy?" Reine asked. "Any jobs… I can do?"

Dunhill and Rio looked at each other for a moment before turning at Reine again. "What did you work as previously?"

"Store clerk," Reine replied. "I'm okay with anything legal."

"I think she can help Hana out," Rio joined in. "There's an empty space next to Neil's stall, right? She can use that!"

Dunhill smiled widely. "You're right!" he said and turned towards Reine. "I guess we should move your stuff in first before discussing about the details."

Suddenly, Reine felt something hit her left shoulder. She reflexively shook it off, but it turned out that Dunhill was trying to pat her shoulder. The old man quickly pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Reine turned away and shut her mouth. She just possibly got another job—what if Dunhill changed his mind if he found out about her eyes?

* * *

Without being asked, Dunhill and Rio helped the sisters to move their luggage into their new house—a wooden cottage that was just cozy enough for two people. Reine and Gwen didn't bring much with them, so it didn't take a long time.

Afterwards, they sat down around the square dining table. It fit them just right—four people.

"As I say before, you can open a general store," Dunhill said. "Our general store owner, Hana, has been sick. She's too old to continue running the store. Her husband, Kosaburo, has a fishing supplies store that gives them enough to eat, so we were thinking that you should take over the general store."

"And selling in their house? I don't think that's appropriate."

"There is an open space in the town square," Rio said. "Usually, there's an animal dealer opening his stall, but there is more than enough space for you to open your stall next to him."

Reine nodded comprehendingly.

"I can make you a wagon to store your supplies and all," Rio assured her. "We should meet Hana after this, she is a very nice lady."

The sisters stared at Dunhill and Rio intently. It took a moment for Rio to notice it. "…Is there anything wrong?"

"Why are you being so kind to us?" Reine asked, again with her no-nonsense approach. "We are strangers."

"Reine!" Gwen chided. "I'm sorry, she didn't mean to be this harsh, it's just—"

"It's all right," Dunhill replied gently. "We know someone just like her… with a higher degree, actually."

"That's right," Rio joined in. "So, you say we are strangers, right? That's true, but there is something we have in common."

Gwen noticed that Rio's eyes were blue, too, just like Allen. However, Rio's eyes gave off a much more cheerful aura than Allen's. If Allen's eyes were like cold sapphire, Rio's eyes were the color of the bright summer sky.

"We left our old home for this town. No matter what the reason is," she emphasized. "…I think I can speak for everyone in this town that we all know how hard it is to keep trying on living when the world seems to just _despise _us. But, we all do—that's why we're still here."

After listening to Rio, Reine felt rather bad for having treated them quite harshly. The fact that they didn't seem to be offended at all somehow made her feel more uneasy and burdened than ever.

Anger, rejection, hatred… she could take all that. She had more than half of her whole life worth of experience. Her barriers had been put up and equipped to deal with all of these invasions.

Kindness from someone she barely knew?

Before she knew it, tears came flowing out from her eyes. It was just like an immune system; strong against known invasions, but weak against the unknown.

"I'm sorry, I…" she stuttered, unable to form a full, coherent sentence.

Both Dunhill and Rio smiled understandingly; she was not the first, after all.

"Welcome to Echo Town."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^_


	3. A Potential Romance?

_Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Teamblaze, yes, it's similar to the in-game welcome, with some tweaks. To Nyannygiri, thanks for the compliment and to nightwriter212 the delay is because I find it hard to find time to write recently, but I'm trying my best here! Thanks for your support._

_This chapter is pretty short because it's just a small interval. It should be together with the last chapter, but I liked how things ended that way in chapter 2... so this is the tiny chapter. Hope you enjoy ^^_

* * *

Today was Friday—his day off. However, that didn't mean that he could just enjoy the day, slacking off. In fact, Friday was the day he set aside to take care all the other things he couldn't because of his shop. Groceries, mostly, especially after Hana was too sick to open her store.

Carrying his one-week worth of supply, he walked back through the forest. As if recognizing his steps, the animals began to gather around him: bunnies, squirrels, even foxes. He groaned, "Don't do this to me, guys…"

They stared at him with their round eyes relentlessly. He sighed in defeat and took out some nuts, and a fish for the carnivore. "Share it with the others," he said. The animals, happy for the food, dispersed just as quickly.

"Wow, who do we have here? The eternal winner of Animal Idol."

A chill ran down his spine when he heard that voice. He looked up and saw the redhead smirking at him. Perhaps, the animals didn't go away because they had gotten their food, after all.

"Mind your own business."

Allen made an exaggerated sigh. "Should I tell you after all?"

Neil raised his eyebrow. "What now?"

"There are _two_ new girls in town."

Neil simply shrugged him off and kept walking to the town. New resident was unusual, but hardly worth worrying over.

"What if I tell you…" Allen trailed off intentionally as their shoulders brushed against each other. "…if these two girls are most likely human?"

Neil immediately turned around to find Allen was already looking at him, gauging his response. The redhead seemed to be satisfied that he managed to pique the blond man's interest. "One of them definitely is," he continued. "As for the other… I sense that she has something else—which strangely reminds me of _you_."

"Bullshit," Neil retorted. "Humans can't go past through the Mist!"

"Interesting, isn't it? And they live between us—literally," he added. "Rio built a nice cottage for these two girls right between our houses."

Allen's smug smile afterwards made his stomach churned as if he had drunk one-gallon worth of bad yak milk.

* * *

Dunhill and Rio brought the sisters around the town, introducing the rest of the residents to the newcomers. Of course, they stopped by Hana's place; somehow, she took a shine for both of the sisters and she was thrilled to hear the takeover plan.

Gwen was chatting with Rio while Reine preferred to look ahead. When the group passed the intersection in front of the forest path, a man appeared from the opposite side, carrying two paper bags full of groceries.

From what she could see, the young man had golden blond messy hair, like a bird nest, if she could use that imagery; she wouldn't be too surprised if a chick popped out from his head because of its color and messiness. His body was lean, cloaked in a long magenta coat, but he didn't come across as weak at all. Then, there were his eyes: purplish red and sharp—a great contrast to his hair.

"Oh, Neil, you come at the right timing!" Dunhill greeted excitedly. "Here, let me introduce you to our new re—"

"Don't bother," the Neil guy interrupted harshly.

Rio playfully nudged his arm. "They're going to live right next to you. At least let them know your name and learn theirs."

"Dunhill mentioned it already," he pointed out. "They should be intelligent enough to catch that."

Reine snorted. "Even if I did, I won't bother to remember such a dickhead's name."

"A gangster like you have no right to call me dickhead," Neil snapped back. "At least pick another color to dye your hair; pink is so disgusting."

That did it. Reine stormed off with expletives running wild from her mouth. "Reine!" Gwen called out, but Reine was too deep with her rage to respond.

Annoyed, Gwen turned at Neil. "I know her hair is not exactly common, but her hair is real. As real as your eyes—if you aren't wearing contacts," she retorted. "You should watch your mouth. There's no use for good looks if your tongue is as foul as garbage."

Gwen turned around and chased Reine, trying to calm her sister down. Reine shrugged her sister off and stomped into her house and Gwen followed soon after.

"What a…n explosive start, I must say," Dunhill commented awkwardly. "They are going to be your neighbors, Neil."

"I'll spend most of my time out, anyway," Neil shrugged.

"As a matter of fact," Rio joined in. "The pinkette is opening a stall—general store stall—next to yours."

"What the hell?!"

Neil marched off with a train of foreign phrases running out from his mouth; from his tone, they deduced that they were most probably expletives.

Dunhill and Rio, the two left in the now empty road, were now unsure what to do. They weren't even sure how to react to what had just happened in the past two, three minutes—everything went by too fast even for them to digest.

"If this is a romance… they would have one hell of a ride," Rio finally muttered. "Like… match made in heaven?"

"The modern kind of romance goes by that modus operandi, yes," Dunhill agreed.

"Do you think I should just install a counter in the sisters' house?"

"Now, now," Dunhill chuckled. "Who are we to interfere with what the stars had planned?"

"You mean…"

"I want to see where things are going with them," Dunhill said with a playful smirk. "Their sentiments are reciprocal… perhaps the change could be that way, too?"

"You sly old man," Rio smirked.

* * *

_What do you think?_

_Please rate and review!_

_Thanks for reading! ^^_


	4. The Two Elizabeths

_Hey all, thanks for the reviews, the follows and the favorites. ^^_

_ToOH: Thanks! Hopefully it wouldn't come to be that way; I'm trying my best not to! ^^_

* * *

The wagon still smelled of freshly cut wood and turpentine and there was already a horse attached to it. "Courtesy of Dunhill," she told her. "I'll add a stable and garage behind your place later."

"I'll—"

"Don't worry about the payment," Rio interjected her, knowing full well what's on the pinkette's mind. "This is just the way we run the town. When I got here three years ago, Dunhill gave me half the field worth of seeds and farming tools, and Neil gave me a cow."

"_Neil_?" Reine blinked in surprise. Such a gesture could be expected of Dunhill, but Neil?

Rio grinned. "Yes, Neil. Your neighbor."

"The nest hair…" Reine muttered under her breath, still finding it hard to believe that he could be generous.

Rio caught her voice and burst into a fitful laughter. "His hair is really something, right?" she said. "Allen's been trying to trim it or whatever. For some reasons those two guys are on each other's throat."

"And yet they're neighbors?"

Rio shrugged. "Good thing I put some space between their houses. And now there's your cottage as well."

Reine remembered her first encounter with this Neil. "That's unlikely."

Rio saw the look on Reine's face and smiled. "Look, Reine, I know that Neil can be quite… challenging. But, he's one of the kindest people I've ever known as well," she couldn't help but to chuckle when she saw Reine's dumbfounded look. "You know _Pride and Prejudice_, right?"

"Of course," she nodded. "One of my favorites."

"Then, you should've known better!" Rio chortled.

"Oh, no way," Reine grumbled, but not knowing what to say next.

* * *

Gwen's head perked up when someone knocked on the door. It couldn't have been Reine, but who would visit their house?

Gwen rose from her chair and headed towards the door. When she opened it, she found the redheaded stylist standing on the other side. His lips tugged up on one side forming a crooked smile, with his canine teeth peeked out very slightly. Somehow, it was _so_ hard to tear away her eyes from his features.

"I'm touched that you found me still so attractive despite having been staring at me for quite a while, but it's understandable," he said with a teasing tone before handing her a paper bag decorated with a blue ribbon. "Consider this my welcoming gift for you and your sister."

Gwen snapped back and took the package from him. "What is this?"

"Shampoo that I made myself using materials from the forest," Allen replied with a hint of pride in his voice. "Trust me, your chemical-ridden hair with regain its former glory with this."

Gwen's heart clenched when she heard it and subconsciously she reached for her hair. The rigorous chemo had not just thinned her hair; it destroyed those who managed to cling on their roots. She had forgotten how her hair had been before the chemo—all she knew now was that her hair was brittle when touched and their ends split quite badly. Time to time, people had told her to just shave the rest of her hair, but she didn't want to—_couldn't_—think of how bizarre she would look then.

"It will take time, but don't doubt my concoction," Allen assured her, as if he had been reading her mind. "How do you think Dunhill managed his hair, anyway?"

An image of Dunhill balding at the crown of his head—hence, the hat—made her at the danger of bursting into laughter. Gwen immediately covered her mouth in a slight embarrassment when she realized that Allen was still there, but it seemed that he had seen her.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "Would you like to come in for some drink? We don't have much, but I'm sure there's some tea somewhere…"

"No, it's fine, I have to get going soon," Allen replied. "Unsurprisingly, you are ten times better earlier, you know, when you're about to laugh."

He grinned, revealing two rows of white porcelain teeth. The only flaw in his otherwise perfectly lined rows of teeth would be his upper canine teeth—both were sticking out of the line. However, somehow that perceived flaw looked just fine with him—beautiful, even, although she knew she didn't need to tell him that with his already well-established ego.

"What's your middle name?"

"Huh? Mine?" Gwen blinked. "It's Elizabeth. Guinevere Elizabeth."

For a moment, Allen's eyes widened in surprise. It alarmed Gwen, of course, when she noticed that. _But, Elizabeth is quite a common name._

Before she had the chance to ask him, Allen had recomposed himself. "Very well, see you around, I guess… Guinevere Elizabeth."

* * *

_"You are to remain on Earth, your remaining powers taken until further notice to be issued."_

He knew very well that that "further notice" wouldn't come soon. Decades, if he was lucky. He watched his reflection on the mirror; he hadn't aged at all ever since then. However, he noticed that his body had become more muscular compared to when he had just come into the town, courtesy of his current occupation.

He thought this town was the perfect place to wait for what could possibly be eternity. Back then, there were only a few people: Dunhill, Kosaburo and Hana, and then Emma and her daughter Yuri. Yuri, the only person that appeared to be around his own age was not someone who was interested to find out about others' history and too shy to socialize. It was perfect.

Dunhill and Hana had helped him to start his business back then, which was why he couldn't voice out his objection when Dunhill proposed to turn the settlement into a slightly bigger town for people like them. Besides, Dunhill and Hana had correctly pointed out that lowering their barrier would also mean more business for the town—and for him, too.

Neil took off to his barn, which he named Animal Sanctuary and retrieved his wagon. When he reached the town square, much to his surprise, the pinkette was already there with her counter ready on its spot. When he realized that she had left him with the more grassy side of the town square, the right side, he led himself to believe that it was due to Dunhill telling her instead of any kind of initiative of her own.

Their eyes met when she looked up. She didn't say anything—not even a greeting—as she turned around to arrange her goods. He silently dragged himself to his spot and set up his own stall.

From all the people this place could attract… why must it be her?

* * *

_Both Allen and Neil seem to have something for, or against, the sisters..._

_Stay tuned to find out what happens next!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review :D_


	5. Behind the Scenes

_Hey all, it's been quite some time! ^^_

_Peachie: thanks! and as for what Allen is, you'll find it out in this chapter, too!_

_teamBLAZE: I'll let you decide who's the second Elizabeth: Reine or the yet-to-be-introduced one. ^^_

* * *

Ever since Reine took over the general store, Hana had more time to do other things. She walked towards the cupboard and opened it; bright light came out when it happened. She reached in and took a tapestry, a part of it, which was woven entirely with red threads, but of different shades of red.

Hana ran her finger on the tapestry carefully. Even with her aged mind, she still remembered when and how she weaved each thread into the tapestry; some threads had gone a long way before finding its place here.

People knew of her sisters: the one who spun the thread, the one who measured it and then the one who cut it—the beginning and the end.

No one seemed to pay particular attention to what happened in the middle, so they didn't really know her. However, she had heard it often, some people just claimed that they were 'fated to meet'.

That's right—it's fate.

And it's her _real_ job as the fourth, the unknown Moirai Sister: the one who weaved people's threads, bringing their fates together.

Her fingers stopped over a certain weaving of two threads—one was dull while the other was bright. Her sisters had told her of the… unique circumstances of the dull red thread, which was why she decided to weave it with this certain bright red thread.

However, not even she would know what would come after this.

* * *

_There it goes again…_ Reine noted inwardly as she saw the line of customer in front of Neil's stall—all females. She noticed it since day one; why wasn't she surprised that those girls didn't come over to her stall?

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Reine jerked up and turned to face her new customer. "Hi, may I help you?" she immediately asked.

"Can you get me these things on the list?" He gave her a piece of paper.

"Oh, sure," Reine replied, taking the paper and skimmed it. She then took a paper bag and began to fill it with the things written down on the list: flour, rice, curry powder, oil and wine. After rechecking the amount, Reine folded the tip of the paper bag carefully. "The total would be 2140 G," she told him.

The man gave her the money and Reine counted it again before smiling and handing the bag over to the customer. "Thank you for your purchase. Please come back soon," she said with a practiced tone.

The customer smiled back at her. "Oh, right, before I forget."

"Hm?"

He gave her another piece of paper, smaller than the first. "In case you open a delivery service,"

Reine took a look at the paper: a phone number. "Wait, but we don't—"

Too late. The customer was already gone.

The pinkette sighed and shoved the paper into her drawer; she didn't realize that the said drawer was already half-filled with similar kind of papers. It had been a week since she settled down in the small town and everything seemed to run smoothly—very smoothly, in fact—with customers coming from inside and outside of the town. Many asked her—suggested, even—that she started a delivery service.

_Perhaps I can start thinking about that…_

"Reine!"

Reine looked up and saw Gwen walking up the path towards the town square carrying lunch boxes. Gwen grinned at her as she jogged the rest of her way and put the boxes on the counter. "Care to guess what's on the menu today?"

"I sure hope you don't only put vegetable rolls in…" Reine replied less enthusiastically. Unlike Gwen, an aspiring vegan (a good thing, actually, noting her illness), Reine identified herself as an almost-carnivore (even visiting Rio's farm and seeing her food in their living form didn't bother her of her choices, actually).

Gwen laughed. "I'd like that, but I don't want to see you on hunger strike either."

The two sisters walked over to a nearby bench and Gwen opened the lunch box: rice balls with vegetable rolls, rolled egg, and tempura. "Looks nice," Reine commented while reaching for her chopsticks.

The sisters enjoyed their lunch together, just like any other day, under the shade of the tree. "Neil's store sure is popular," Gwen commented as she took a bite of her roll.

"Not for quite the legit reasons, I guess," Reine quipped. "I think he can be a host at night for extra bucks and he'll still get the same customers."

Gwen grimaced wryly. "I never thought you imagine him—"

"That's not quite hard to imagine," Reine interjected, taking another bite of the rolled egg. "He's okay-looking, I'll give him that."

"Right…" Gwen trailed off unsurely.

While munching on her egg, Reine's mind began to wander off. She noticed that actually, she never saw Neil eating his lunch. There was always a queue on his stall and he's actually a kinder merchant than he's letting on by not letting his customers to wait for too long—so long as they meant real business.

Pity—yes, she believed it would be pity that made her called out to him. "Yo, Neil!"

Even with her one eye, she knew Neil's customers turned to glare at her when they heard her voice. However, what she didn't see—figuratively—was the animal dealer finally leaving his counter to walk over to where she was.

"What's your business? If—"

"—you are here just to look around, feel free to walk away," Reine continued seamlessly. "It's so easy to memorize that line."

Neil rolled his eyes. "I don't have much time."

Reine took the lunch box and offered it to him, much to the surprise of both Neil and Gwen. "I'm feeling nice, so I'll let you take my share of the vegetable roll."

"Reine!" Gwen pouted. "You're just—"

Neil opened his mouth at the same time. "I'm not hung—" he was interrupted, not so gracefully, by the loud rumbling sound of his stomach. Gwen turned with her jaw slightly open at Neil while Reine smiled smugly at the blond. "Not hungry, eh?"

"You don't seem to be the type who would go on diet."

Reine rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, will I give you vegetable rolls if I'm ever on diet?" she quipped. "I'm not a big fan of veggie rolls, so it's a win-win deal for both of us."

Gwen grumbled under her breath; Reine always had a way to _not_ eat the vegetable rolls. However, she didn't feel comfortable letting Neil go without any food now that she knew he was _starving_.

But, no, she wouldn't let Reine off the hook not so easily this time.

So, Gwen put on her best smile and told Neil: "You can take the rolled egg, too—all of it, actually."

Reine glared at Gwen—_how could she?! _—but the words said couldn't be unsaid. Gwen smirked back at Reine.

Neil took a vegetable roll and bit it. He then turned around and walked back to his counter without saying anything else—not that Reine expected anything from him, anyway (don't get her wrong, she still disliked him _badly_, but not bad enough to let him go on starving).

Reine heard him sighing in-between the munching.

But she didn't see the smile that began to bloom on his lips.

* * *

His body felt warm as a new surge of strength ran through its veins. Allen could feel his cheeks became hotter and the color of his skin brightened up. Yes, his body temperature would be closer to humans now, although it would never quite reach that point ever again. Allen straightened his back and saw at what he had left: a dried piece of carcass.

Poor bear… but he had no choice.

It had been some time since he… followed his more natural instincts. He had trained hard to satiate himself with human food and found that he quite liked it. It made his nose became way more sensitive to blood—now, he could roughly guess one's species from the smell of his or her blood—and it worked to his advantage up until now. However, he had decided that he had to tame his nose quite a bit.

Allen ran a thumb over the trail of blood on his chin and licked it.

He wondered what Neil would do once he learned about this.

* * *

_The shortest way into a man's heart is through his stomach..._

_Will that be the case this time, too?_

**_A/N: No, Tailor of Our Hearts, I won't go all Twilight although our beloved self-aggrandizing redhead is a vampire._**


	6. The Two Pearl Oysters

_Hey guys, sorry for the long wait! I have been occupied with some other things lately, so I haven't been able to write. This chapter is long, unexpectedly so, but I hope you guys will enjoy it._

_I am also planning to write a story on Story of Seasons, with a new OC (her name will be revealed later). If you're curious, yes, this OC is also a pinkette (I can safely say that pink hair will be my OCs trademark hahahaa). However, since we don't know whether Story of Seasons stories will share the same page with Harvest Moon, I can't do much about it. But, consider this as an announcement :)_

* * *

_She boarded the bus, sitting at the very end between two other people—office men. The bus was fairly crowded with people going out from work, those around her age and younger coming out from either cram school or workplace. She came into the latter category; well, not really, since the last place she visited was a bakery. She saw strawberry shortcake, Gwen's favorite, so she decided to buy a slice for Gwen. She just received her pay, after all, so she could afford some extra spending._

Hopefully this will cheer her up_, she thought._

_Reine held the small box tightly on her lap, hoping that the cake would retain its appetizing appearance when Gwen opened it._

_She looked at the plate on the bus stop she had just passed. It wouldn't be much longer until she reached the hospital. There would be a crossroad, then one more bus stop, then the hospital._

How long has she been in the hospital this time?_ Reine pondered. She realized it was long enough for her to forget the attire Gwen had worn when she stepped into the hospital for the umpteenth time in her life._

_Then it happened._

_Reine was jerked forward by the impact and almost fell to the aisle if she hadn't hold herself back and pressed her legs as hardly as she could to the floor. However, nothing could prepare her for the second blow from the side. She felt her world turned upside down, quite literally, as the bus rolled and crashed to the ground._

_Her whole body was sore and she opened her eyes slightly. Her vision was blurred, but it was still enough for her to discern her surrounding. Bodies, many of them bloody, were sprawled in front of her. Groans and moans of pain filled her ears. The cake fell nearby, completely crushed by the impact. From what she saw, Reine quickly deduced that the bus had turned a whole one hundred and eighty degree._

_Near the cake, there was a little girl, writhing in pain while fighting for air. There was another person above him, not moving—dead, perhaps. Forcing herself to stand up, Reine dragged herself towards the girl, moving the other body aside to free him. "It's okay," she assured her. "Everything will be fine."_

_It was then she saw, through the broken window, another car was going towards their way. Her instincts took over her; she wrapped the girl in her arms and turned around._

_But it was not quick enough. She still could see, from the corner of her left eye, the car slammed into the remaining glass on the window, completely crashing them. She held her breath._

_Then, there was only pain._

* * *

"Reine!"

The pinkette opened her eyes to find a certain blond farmer was waving her hand excitedly at her. "Today's your day off, right?" she asked while jogging towards her. "Let's go foraging!"

Reine weighed her option. Foraging was always a good way to bring some extra cash, especially when the business was low. Plus, there were some things that were better to be found in the forest first hand… like wild fruits.

Reine stood up and took her basket. "Yeah, sure, let's go."

Rio grinned and pulled her towards the forest. The girls chattered while doing their own gathering. Rio was looking for some branches and stones for materials, while Reine was more interested in finding something edible.

"So… it's been two… three weeks?"

"Yeah…"

"How's everything?"

"I think the pace is just right for me," Reine said.

"Anything else?" Rio asked curiously.

Reine straightened her body as she threw another batch of wild mushrooms into her basket. "Like what?"

"Like… neighbors?" Rio trailed off carefully, eyeing for Reine's reaction.

The pinkette simply shrugged. "Nothing much."

"I saw the three of you eating together," Rio smiled. "That's quite a good development."

"It's Gwen," Reine replied quickly. "She's not the kind who can let someone go starving when she can help it."

"I see…" Rio intentionally trailed her voice off again. "So, it's Gwen, huh?"

"Yup," Reine responded, ignoring the not so subtle hint of Rio being unconvinced at all by her answer.

Finally, the reached a hollow stump on the uphill. Reine remembered Rio telling her about this once—that this hollow stump was connected to another at the downhill—but she never tried it for herself.

Rio closed her eyes. She grinned behind Reine's back and opened her eyes again. "Hey, Reine," she called. "Let's use this stump!"

"Huh?"

"C'mon, it's much faster than walking downhill!"

Before Reine could say anything, Rio pushed her gently and Reine stumbled into the stump. Rio could hear Reine's yell of her name, "Rioooooooo!" echoed through the stump and she couldn't suppress her giggle. "Sorry, Reine," she said sheepishly.

* * *

Neil was enjoying his time alone in the forest when he heard a strange sound coming from the hollow stump. He had no idea why that hollow stump was there, the purpose of it, since he rarely foraged. Neil walked closer to the stump and craned his neck to see what's inside. A moment later, something blasted out from the hollow stump and hit his neck with a force enough to make him fell on his butt. A moment later, something heavy fell on him that he couldn't suppress a painful growl.

He heard another voice, though, and he held his breath as he opened his eyes to find Reine sprawled on him. "W-What?!" he cried out in shock, trying desperately to deny that his heart was beating wildly that he could hear it inside his ears.

Reine opened her eyes while rubbing her head, which had been the point of crash on her part and was equally shocked when she found out whom she was crashing into. "_Rio…_" she hissed, swearing that that one blond farmer would pay for this humiliation.

As if it wasn't enough to embarrass them, someone walked in on them—and from all the people in Echo Town, it was Allen. His eyes twinkled as he smirked mischievously. "Summer's not here yet but both of you are already in heat, huh?" he teased. "Go get a room."

Reine quickly removed herself from on top of Neil. "This is not what you think it is," she grumbled.

"I thought I was rammed by a bull," Neil groaned.

Reine shot a threatening glare at him. "_A bull?!_" she cried out. "Tch. I thought I was slamming into a dead tree. You couldn't even stand."

"What the heck?!" Neil retorted. "You slammed into me and the first thing you have on your tongue was an insult?!"

"You started it!"

Allen, although amused entirely by their interaction, decided to walk away, shrugging to himself. Besides, the two fools had completely ignored him in favor of their heated argument. Like he said, they were really in the heat.

Rio, after giving some pause, appeared from the stump and played dumb about Neil's presence. "Reine, are you okay? Oh, hi, Neil."

Reine was still rubbing her head. The fact that Neil's face was oval didn't work in her favor _at all_; his chin was painfully sharp.

That didn't escape Neil's eyes and without saying anything else he pulled her towards the town. "Eh, hey! Ya! What are you doing?!" Reine asked, trying to yank her arm from Neil's grip.

"Clinic, dumbhead," Neil replied. "Let's go check whether the hit had just reduced your brain even further."

"What?!" Reine snickered. "Are you sure it's not your sorry head we need to check? I have a pretty hard head, you know."

"Can tell," Neil retorted. "You're a bullhead, after all."

"You—" Reine hissed.

"What?" Neil asked. "You need me to haul you like some potato sack?"

Reine rolled her eyes. "With your lanky, sorry excuse of a body, you—HEY!"

Proving his words, Neil hauled Reine easily to his shoulder and carried her. Reine wriggled and struggled—"Put me down or I'll shout you're a pervert hey I'm serious don't pretend you can't hear me I'll shout in your ears…"—but couldn't free herself because Neil had strategically placed his hand on her thighs and behind her knees, preventing her to move around.

Rio watched them leave in amused silence, suffering the same fate like Allen before her. She didn't mind at all, though, because they were so entertaining. She realized that Neil and Reine were of the same kind: the pearl oyster kind; those who hid away their precious, fragile heart inside a tough persona. Their concerns and affections were laced with numerous insults and sometimes it was hard to tell, especially those who didn't know them well.

They said it took one to know one.

Rio couldn't help but to wonder what would happen with these two oysters.

* * *

The town doctor was a nag. Reine knew he meant well, but it was still hard to sit through his long lecture about being careful in the forest and blah blah…

"We'll check your eyes,"

"What?" Reine responded. "There's no need."

"What do you mean by that?" Dr Klaus asked sharply. "Must I remind you that…"

Reine groaned internally, _Here we go again._

"Just do it," Neil hissed under his breath, obviously he couldn't stand Dr Klaus any longer than she was—well no one asked him to stay, anyway.

Only then Reine realized that Neil _was_ staying beside her throughout the examination.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Dr Klaus flashed a flashlight at her. "We'll start with your right one. Close your left eye."

It was easy. She followed the light and it was done quite soon afterwards.

However, when it was her left eye's turn, Reine couldn't help but to feel nervous. When she closed her right eye, as expected, there was only darkness.

Silence… then, there was Dr Klaus' voice: "Reine? Do it just like the other one."

Gritting her teeth, Reine knew she couldn't stand it any longer. "I told you there's no need!" she said, opening her right eye and winced slightly when the light surged through it.

Reine stomped away from the clinic, ignoring Dr Klaus' frantic call. In the end, it was Neil who caught up to her. "Hey!"

Reine yanked her arm free; this time, she did it. "Leave me alone," she said.

"He's a nag but—"

"There's nothing to do with him being a total nag!" Reine yelled, turning her body towards Neil. "It's useless trying to see whether my left eye is okay, can't you see?"

Neil held his breath. Somehow he knew this outburst was different from her other ones. "What do you mean?"

Reine didn't know how, or when, tears started to build up inside of her eyes. She felt the tears flowed out without her being able to prevent it.

"It's useless…" she muttered quietly. "The only thing this eye can do now is to cry…"

"Wha…"

He stood in front of her, speechless, while she was trying to contain herself. She rubbed her eyes, making a mess with her long fringe. Her words finally hit him.

_Is that why she keeps her fringe long?_ He thought to himself. _So that others won't notice?_

Reine was still sobbing when she felt a hand pulling her face up. She felt a fabric of some sorts rubbing against her cheeks carefully. Reine opened her eyes to see that it was Neil, with his sleeves, trying to wipe her tears off.

She then saw his hand reached out to her, entering her blind spot, and a moment later she felt her fringe was being lifted off. "Your eyes are staring straight into mine," he told her. "Both of them."

Reine was at loss at what she was supposed to say; all her comebacks didn't pop out in her head when she needed it.

"I think it's a shame if you cover it," he continued in an unusual, unlaced honesty.

Because if she had shown him her vulnerable side, he thought it was only fair if he did just the same.

* * *

_Seems like Neil and Reine's relationship is improving for good..._

_What would happen after this?_

_Stay tuned to find out!_

_Thanks for reading, please rate and review :D_


	7. A Howl Through the Rain

Allen could feel that the air was getting colder. However, it didn't fool him; even if there's going to be a storm tonight, summer was just around the corner. He sighed long; he hated to wake up early, but he had to soon because early morning was the most bearable time during summer.

Unlike what that author claimed, vampires didn't hate sunlight because it made them sparkly or whatever—well, he guessed that sparkles came across as more romantic. Vampires hated _strong _sunlight simply because the venom, which substituted blood in their veins, killed off majority of their pigment thus causing them to be more likely to be sunburned. Of course, vampires who originally had darker skin tone didn't find sunlight as annoying as the ones with lighter skins. No sparkles.

Thankfully, adaptation made life more bearable despite the increasing temperature. That, and invention such as air-conditioner that Allen turned on 24/7 throughout summer—of course he didn't need to worry about the bills.

Allen figured he should make more frequent trips to the forest to gather enough supplies. Hopefully he didn't need to go out during summer although it was highly unlikely since the old man Dunhill would insist him to participate in festivals and there was nothing beating products made from newly-gathered materials.

Allen saw them during while he was heading to the forest; this was the third time this week. Despite the rough beginning, it seemed that the pinkette and the damned blond got along pretty well. Very well, even, considering that this pinkette was a human and this blond was… well… anti-social.

_Well, humans are scientifically classified into Animalia kingdom…_ he thought to himself.

Just like the other two times, Allen decided to grace them with a curt greeting simply because he found the pinkette to be attractive—human, duh—and he just liked to annoy Neil. He knew Neil knew of his identity—thanks to the wolves in the forest—however, Neil didn't give off a werewolf vibe to him.

He loathed to admit it, but Neil's aura was more… dignified that those unruly monsters.

"Isn't the heat period ending soon?" he asked with a teasing tone. "Or is it just starting for the two of you?"

Neil glared at him. Allen bet some wolves reported him to this blond, but he didn't care—nature's calling.

Intentionally, Allen held out his hand to touch Reine's hair and brought it to his nose. He smirked when he noticed the young woman jerked at his action. "Hmmm… it seems that you are using my present to you."

The pinkette slapped his hand away lightly, her skin almost burned against his upon the touch. "Don't flatter yourself," she retorted. "I'm using it because I don't have anything else to wash my hair with."

"Why don't you just express your gratitude honestly?" Allen asked, still with a teasing tone. "We don't need another tsundere in the town, you know."

Reine rolled her eyes and turned on her heels. "I'm leaving."

She walked away from the two men. Allen glanced at Neil. "Aren't you going to _escort_ her?" he made sure the emphasis on the word 'escort' got him; and it did.

"Listen, Allen," Neil practically growled. "She is different from the wild animals in this forest, or the ones I sold you before I knew better. If you touch her or her sister, Dunhill will take action against you."

"My, my, who are you to remind me of the town's rules? I have stayed here far longer than you are, perhaps even before you were born," Allen put a sassy hand on his hip and swept his fringe aside. "Be mindful of your place. Five years of residence worth hardly anything here, if there is any at all."

* * *

The rain came down hard, chasing each other to the ground, as if crying hard in farewell to the Spring. Reine watched it from the window, a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. Before this, she couldn't see herself settling down in a small town but it was happening now, and she would be lying to say she didn't enjoy it. She could really appreciate the change of pace.

"This is not a bad place, right?" Gwen asked as she sat down across her with her hot cocoa. Reine remembered Gwen used to like to put in a lot of sugars, but she had cut down her sugar consumption on doctor's orders and now their cocoa drink almost tasted the same.

Reine looked at her sister and suddenly was reminded of their redheaded neighbor. His creation—shampoo, conditioner, serum, whatever—worked for Gwen. There were numerous baby hairs sprouting off on her head. When Reine visited the salon, Allen had asked her to ask Gwen to come along some time later to try on some wigs so she could go out more confidently.

_What makes him so kind to her?_ Reine thought. _He doesn't seem to be the altruistic kind._

"Reine?" Gwen called softly, interrupting her thoughts.

"Y-Yes?"

"I was asking you about Neil."

Reine held her breath. "What about him?"

Gwen chuckled. "Never see a guy makes you hold your breath," she pointed out. "I said you seemed to be more comfortable around him nowadays."

"We're neighbors," Reine countered. "At work, too. Surely I have to get used to him somehow."

"Aw, you know that's not the kind of 'comfortable' that I meant," Gwen giggled. "Did he say anything about your hair, by the way?"

Reine touched her fringe. She _did_ ask Allen to cut some of her fringe off so that it wouldn't cover her left eye too much, although it didn't change the side-sweep style. It didn't make much of a difference to her, of course, except the slightly ticklish feeling from the tip of her hair brushing against her upper eyelid.

"No," she replied. "Not that I care."

"Of course you don't," Gwen nodded slowly, clearly not buying Reine's words. "In any case, I'm happy for you."

"There's nothing between us, Gwen,"

A long howl interrupted their conversation. Reine and Gwen turned to the direction of the forest. This was their first time hearing such a loud, long howl. Gwen was clearly disturbed. "Is everything alright?"

"We shouldn't overthink it," Reine said, drinking some more of her hot cocoa.

They finished their drinks and washed the dishes. The two sisters were about to turn in for the day when Reine saw through the side window that Neil was outside with coat in his arms.

_What kind of a fool not wearing a coat in the rain?!_ She thought. Nevertheless, she grabbed an umbrella and headed out.

"Hey!" she called. "Why aren't you wearing you coat, you dolt?!"

Neil looked up to see her, but didn't say anything. He simply hugged his coat even closer. Reine jogged towards him and shared her umbrella. It was then Reine saw what Neil was actually carrying.

She frowned. "A… wolf?"

"Yeah. He's hurt."

The wolf in Neil's arm was slightly bigger than the average wolves Reine knew. His fur had a light hint of golden—very unusual, but not at all repulsive.

"To be honest, I don't know where to put him after this," Neil said. "There are some sheep in my barn and they won't be pleased with a wolf."

Reine sighed. "Bring him to my house, then."

"What?"

"The nearest thing to a sheep in my house is Gwen but I assure you she's an animal lover—why do you think she tries to be a vegan, anyway?"

Reine pulled him to her house. Neil, not being able to think of any other option, followed.

Gwen, who had seen Reine running outside had prepared some drinks for their guest. As Reine had predicted, Gwen wasn't bothered at all to give a shelter to the wolf; in fact, she squealed at the sight of the predator.

"We don't have much time," Neil said.

The next thirty minutes, the three people worked to warm up the poor wolf and treat some of his injuries. "We have to bring him to Klaus tomorrow," Neil muttered.

"Klaus? Is he a vet, too?" Reine asked.

Neil blinked in surprise. "Oh, ehm… well, I guess you could say so," he replied. "Do you mind if I sleep on your couch?"

"Hey, have a little faith on us!" Reine snapped. "We can take care of this wolf just fine!"

Gwen nodded. "Keep him warm and comfortable, right? We can take turns doing that."

Neil looked at the two sisters, unconvinced for some reasons, but Reine turned his body around and pushed him to the door, but not before arming him with her umbrella. "Don't worry! Bye, nest hair!"

"Hey!"

Too late. Reine closed and locked the door.

Neil wondered whether he could actually sleep tonight.


	8. And When They Realize It

Reine stroke the canine gently. "Hmmm how should we call him?" she pondered to herself. "Doggy?"

"It's a wolf," Gwen reminded her as she put down a bowl filled with water, just in case the wolf woke up.

Reine furrowed her brow. "…Wolfie?"

"Objection," Gwen responded almost immediately. "Seriously, Reine?"

"Well, do you have better ideas?"

The brunette sighed. "Why don't we go to sleep now and think of names tomorrow?"

Reine turned around to see that her sister hadn't only brought water; she brought thick comforters for them. "You're sleeping on bed, Gwen," Reine said sternly.

"Couch," Gwen bargained.

Reine weighed her options and finally nodded. "Sure, but take this one," she said, handing the thicker comforter to her sister.

"Deal."

Gwen headed to the nearest couch and covered herself with the comforter, using the small pillow to support her head. After ensuring that Gwen's asleep, Reine lied down next to the canine and used the comforter to cover both of them. She fell asleep while holding the wolf like a little girl holding to her teddy bear.

* * *

_It's warm._

Reine adjusted her body so that she could feel more of that warmth. She sighed in relief when she felt the warmth began to envelop her. Her eyelids fluttered open; a hazy blond figure came into her vision.

_Neil?_ she thought. _Damn. It can't be—you're a fool, Reine Kreiss!_

She rubbed her eyes and her vision was cleared. The person in front of her was clearly a man with ginger blond hair that was spiky and even more unruly than Neil's. She held her breath and looked down; he was stark naked.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she shrieked in terror, flipped the comforter open and got away from him.

The man shifted and rubbed his eyes open. "Hmm? Who's that?" he groaned; his voice less husky then Neil's.

"W-Who are you?!" Reine asked, pointing at him.

That man finally noticed Reine's presence. "Who are you?" he asked, completely disregarding Reine's identical question to him. He then grinned. "Nice hair."

"GET OUT!" Reine reached for the nearby bowl and threw it at his direction. "PERVERT!"

The noise wake the other sister woke up; the young woman straightened her back and turned to the direction of the noise. "What's it, Reine?" she asked sleepily as she reached for the lamp switch. When her vision was cleared and the lamp was turned on, she held her breath.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Gwen screamed.

The man covered his ears and wincing as if in pain. "Calm down, I have pretty sensitive ears!"

"GET OUT YOU DAMNHEAD!"

Suddenly, the front door was opened. Reine and Gwen turned around and saw their neighbors, both Allen and Neil, stood on the doorway.

In a blink of an eye, Neil was already in front of Reine. "I knew I shouldn't have left," he muttered under his breath before taking Reine into his arms. "Hold on."

"W-what?" Reine stammered, completely distraught by the turn of events.

Not having the patience, Neil simply put Reine's arms around his shoulder and in another heartbeat, he brought her to her room. He put her down on her bed. "W-whattheheck?!" Reine cursed, her speech became faster than usual. "What are you? A ninja?"

Neil shrugged. "Something like that."

Not giving the pinkette another chance to talk, Neil walked out from the room to find Gwen's already in Allen's arms—unconscious. Neil tensed.

"She fainted from the turn of events, not me—although I _do_ have every capacity to strike her down," he added with a devilish grin.

After Allen put Gwen together with Reine, giving the latter something else to worry about, the two men walked back to the living room where the blond 'intruder' was.

His eyes lit up when he saw Allen. "Allen! I'd never thought I'd see you here!"

Much to Neil's surprise, Allen smirked. "You got lucky, buddy. If it's another werewolf, I'd have torn him to pieces."

The man laughed and he held his breath when he saw Neil. He took a moment to study the other blond, scanning him from top to bottom. He gasped. "Holy sh—is that really you?!"

Neil raised his eyebrow. "What the heck you're talking about?"

The other man grinned. "It's me!"

"Huh? I don't know you at all!" Neil snapped back and threw the comforter. "At least cover yourself!"

Allen glanced teasingly at Neil. "Don't tell me you got a boner over—"

"Of course not you damn idiot!" Neil growled. "Let's go to Klaus and have him getting checked up!"

* * *

"Well, other than slight dehydration and obvious signs of unkemptness, you're fine," Klaus concluded, before he gave his patient his first speech of taking care of himself. Allen and Neil waited outside of the clinic, knowing that it would come down to that speech… _again_.

"Letting a werewolf into a woman's house? That's very smart of you," Allen remarked sarcastically. "I know you're blond and all, but I can't believe you're at this level, _Neil Forrester_."

"Don't push your luck, blood-sucker," Neil threatened him. "Who's he, anyway? I thought vampires and werewolves don't go along?"

"Typically, yes," Allen replied. "But we're on different level."

Neil rolled his eyes—_duh, isn't that obvious_—and prompted Allen to chuckle in amusement. "You don't usually take interest in my life story, why now?"

"Don't get ideas," Neil retorted. "I'm asking because he seems to know me."

"And that makes me know you as any other thing than Eternal Sucker-Winner of Animal Idol? Oh, please…" Allen replied derisively, before changing his tone to one that was more serious. "We had parted ways for centuries that I'd almost thought he's dead."

The werewolf emerged from the clinic with a huge grin; how he was clothed with a simple shirt and pants courtesy of Allen. "First time someone emerging from Klaus with a grin," Allen remarked. "You haven't change at all, buddy."

"So do the both of you!" he replied.

At that moment, Neil noticed Reine walking up to them. The werewolf noticed that too and jogged towards the girl. "Thanks for giving me a shelter earlier!" he said cheerfully; Neil figured he either completely ignored Reine's sour look or was oblivious to it. "My name's Rod, and I'm a werewolf!"

Reine gasped. Her annoyed expression turned into one of utter shock. "Werewolf…?" she asked hesitantly as if fearing of offending him that she had misheard him earlier. However, Rod nodded excitedly.

"Are you a flower nymph?" Rod asked, still smiling.

"Nymph? Me…?"

"Uh-huh," Rod nodded. "In any case, sorry for what happened earlier—I always transformed back naked, you see."

This time, it was too much even for Reine. Her body fell to the ground, but saved thanks to Rod's quick reflex. "Hey! Are you okay?!"

Neil sighed inwardly.

_Good Lord…_

* * *

**_Hmm... so what do we have so far?_**

**_Rio as earth nymph_**

**_Hana as one of the Fates_**

**_Allen as vampire_**

**_Rod as werewolf_**

**_Neil as... ninja?_**

**_In any case, thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^_**


	9. Something Rare

_Nyannygiri: aww thanks for your compliment! ^^_

* * *

When Reine opened her eyes, she was already back in her house. Rio was looking over her with worry. Reine groaned slightly and tried to get up. "…Gwen?"

"She's alright," Rio replied. "Well, Dr Klaus took a look at her, just to be sure."

"…Right."

_"My name's Rod, and I'm a werewolf!"_

Reine scratched her head, messing her pink hair up. "That has to be a dream…" she muttered.

"Reine?"

"Hm?"

"What dream?" the blonde asked.

Reine looked at Rio for a moment, then shrugged. "A very ridiculous one," she finally replied.

"Of meeting a werewolf?"

Reine held her breath and blinked hard. "How did you—"

"It's not a dream, Reine," Rio told her immediately. "It was real."

She huffed heavily. "Werewolf? Are you kidding me now?"

Rio shook her head and then directed Reine's attention to a pot at the corner of the room. It was a cherry blossom bonsai that was already past its blooming period. "I'll make that one bloom all-year round," Rio told her as she pointed a finger at the said plant.

Slowly, but surely, the pink blossoms began to appear on the branch. Reine held her breath, again, not knowing whether this was a dream within a dream… if that was possible.

"It's not a dream, Reine," Rio assured her again. "I'm an earth nymph. Farming aligns with my… real nature."

"Nice pun," the pinkette muttered. "So, everyone in this town is… magical?"

"You could put it that way, if that pleases you," she replied.

Reine scratched her head. "Okay… here's what we have—my sister and I are currently living in a town filled with… magical creatures?"

"No mortal are supposed to be able to pass through the Mist," Rio countered. "This town should appear like a thick mist to them!"

"Are you saying that _I'm_ magical, too?" Reine retorted. "Reality check, for the last twenty-one years of my life—and that means my whole life—I'm not magical. No sudden levitation, disappearance, whatever bullshit!"

"But, Reine, this is a reality…"

"What the—"

"Reine," a soft voice called from the direction of the door. Rio turned around and found the other, younger sister, Gwen was already up and about. "I think you're going too far."

The pinkette took off the blanket and stood up, walking to her sister. "Are you okay, Gwen?"

Rio noticed that if there were anyone who could soften the pinkette up, it would be Gwen. Although it seemed that between the two sisters Reine was more assertive, she would never go against Gwen. In a way, Gwen was the one who held the rein in the relationship.

The brunette nodded. "You shouldn't be so harsh," she reminded her.

"Are you telling me to accept this magical theory?" Reine asked back skeptically. "Next, you're telling me Twilight is a real deal!"

"I would gladly appreciate if you do not take that account to be the real story of my kind," Allen interposed from behind Gwen, a hand on his hip. "I am much, much more amazing than that author wrote."

"_Your_ kind?"

The redhead smirked, revealing one of his protruded canines, which Reine finally noticed this time. "Oh, shit…" she muttered under her breath.

"I'm not going to eat you, if that's what you're worried about. Human food has sated my palate."

Reine moved to put herself between Gwen and Allen. "And how am I supposed to trust you with you withholding your identity all this time?"

"Hold me against my word," Allen assured her. "A real man never goes back on his word, and I can prove to you that I am one of them… in any way you'd like to," he winked at the end of his sentence, but Reine simply ignored it.

Gwen put her hand on Reine's tense shoulder. "Reine, they have taken us in… and there has been no incident whatsoever."

"How could I be sure that they meant to help, and not to eat us instead?!"

"If anyone wants to eat you he'd done so from day one," Allen told her. "Please, Reine, you both scream humans."

"There's this thing called a recon!"

"Just shut up," another harsh voice chided her. "Everyone who lives here adhere to the one rule old man gave us—be open-minded—if you can't just pack your stuff and get the hell outta here!"

The moment Reine saw Neil's face, she felt a pain in her chest. She dismissed it almost immediately, thinking that it was due to her rage of this whole absurd notion of this town being a less-than-normal town. However, the pain soon became too much for her to hide it, and she gripped the fabric on her chest and groaned.

"Reine?" Gwen asked, alarmed. "Are you okay?"

Even in pain, the pinkette still flashed one of her glares to Neil. "Y'know, if this _is_ real… if this whole magic thing is… I wonder if angels are real, too…"

"…am gonna see whether I have a guardian angel and wake him up," she groaned out. "With all these misfortunes… seems like logical to do so, right?"

By the time she finished talking, her breathing had become heavy that Gwen had to bring her back to her bed with Rio's help. "I think you really should control your temper…" the brunette told her sister softly. "…won't do you good…"

"Never thought you still believe in that," Neil muttered before turning back and leaving.

* * *

Dunhill came to visit the two sisters, but Reine was still resting. As such, Gwen was the only one receiving him.

"At first, I thought there might be something different with the two of you," Dunhill said the moment both of them sat down across each other. "The barrier I erected should have misled normal humans."

"So I've heard," Gwen said quietly. "But… here we are."

"One possibility is that perhaps both of you are not fully humans," Dunhill proposed. "That's what I thought when looking at Reine's hair."

"I can't confirm or deny that. We have been nothing but… ordinary."

"Of course…" Dunhill sighed. "Say, Gwen, if the two of you want to move out…"

"We have nowhere else to go," Gwen replied. "Nobody will give us a shelter for free and not many would employ either of us knowing my sickness or Reine's half-blindness."

"World has become a much more complicated place, huh?"

Gwen's face darkened. For a moment, her life flashed through her mind. The family that rejected her, employers that turned them away… it was not so complicated in her mind. They had a choice, and that's what they choose.

"Kindness is a rare thing, that's that."

* * *

_Do you think that kindness has become rare in our world, too?_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^_


	10. The Wolf Whisperer

_Hey guys, sorry with the long update! My exam is coming up so my mind is quite muddled right now, so I will update my stories in baby steps (maybe with the exception of my Story of Seasons story because like with any new stories, inspiration comes fast). Plus I know you guys read this and stuff, but getting lack of reviews is quite discouraging somehow... *le sigh*_

_BUUUUT I'm still super thankful for those showing your support (follow/fave/reviews)! Thank you all! ^^_

_In any case, I'm trying to give Neil-Reine a different relationship pacing in this story... more like reluctant friends (with a teensy beetsy crush, perhaps? hohohoho) so yeah! This, and this genre, is quite a new thing (okay, I got Dragon's Tear but that's only talking about dragons, not multitude of other creatures at once) for me, so please bear with me! ^^_

_As for why the sisters could pass through the Mist and what are they... please allow me to sustain the suspense for a while ^^_

_Thanks for being patient! ^^_

* * *

Reine led her horse to their usual spot at the town square. She had taken (more like being _forced to take_) a week break and today would be her first day working again. As she set her stall up, her mind was mulling over the fact that Echo Town was…

_We're living between a vampire and who-knows-what_, Reine groaned at the fact that she had no idea of what Neil truly was. She asked Rio, but the earth nymph/farmer didn't know any better.

_"Neil is secretive as hell about his identity," Rio told her. "Since I couldn't identify him, it's quite safe to say he's not… earthbound, so to speak."_

_"How about Dunhill?"_

_Rio shrugged. "He didn't force us to answer and if we did he promised confidentiality. He's a no-go."_

_"Right, of course."_

Reine put the cashier machine on the counter, followed by the bell, and it was that moment Neil came next to her with his wagon.

"Mornin'," she greeted.

"Hm."

Reine watched the blond as he worked expertly to set up his stall. He began by drawing out the fence to keep the animals safe and led them out from his wagon. After they were fed, Neil left them to chew on their food while he set up his counter. All done before twenty minutes were up and Reine had been watching him since.

"You're good," she admitted.

"What?"

"Dealing with animals," she told him. "Are you a centaur or something?"

Neil scowled. "For someone who refused to believe she gave shelter to a werewolf, you sure adapt quickly."

The pinkette rolled her eyes. "We survive by adapting, please," she retorted. "So?"

"What? I have no obligation to tell you what I am."

"No, I mean where's that werewolf."

"Rod?"

"Right."

Neil glanced over at the direction of the forest. "Rio offered to build him a house, but he refused. He said he's more used to living in the woods."

"So… that's that?" she was obviously unsatisfied; after sheltering him and nearly got a heart attack, the said subject easily settled in the woods? Really?

"Not every creature has a human form," Neil told her, this time in a less aggressive tone. "And among those who do, that doesn't mean it's _comfortable_ to stay that way."

"And what about you?" the human asked, not bothering to conceal her interest in the guy in front of her. "Is it comfortable?"

"Being next to you? No."

Reine balled her fist. "Sorry I made you uncomfortable then," she hissed. "I guess the feeling is mutual, since I don't know whether you are a human-vore or not."

"Sorry, what?"

"You heard me," Reine shrugged. "I'm preparing myself lest both of my neighbors devour humans."

Their conversation was interrupted rather abruptly when they saw someone coming towards the town square. They immediately switched back to their work mode and only stopped when Gwen came by to have lunch with them. By this time, Neil was a regular invitee to the sisters' lunch; Gwen always made enough for three. No one complained, not even Reine; in fact, they kind of enjoyed this new 'normal'.

"Reine." The pinkette looked up while still munching on her rolled egg and made a low 'mmhmm?' sound. "I'm going to the woods after closing."

Reine shrugged—as if saying whatever—and drank some water to help her swallow the egg. "I'm going to take a walk," he gave more info, but Reine just nodded absent-mindedly, paying more attention to the spread of food in front of her in order to decide what to pick next.

Gwen had been watching them and now she could barely stifle her giggle. _Should I help him out?_

Gwen glanced at the blond and found that he was glancing back at her. She was tempted to ignore him, by simply giving him a playful smirk. However, in the end she relented and called her sister. "Reine,"

"Yes?" she asked back, this time with a rice roll inside of her mouth.

"Do you want to accompany him?"

"Why should I?" she asked between munching. "He can go anywhere he likes."

"He, in a _very very_ subtle way, is asking whether you want to go with him."

"He said he's uncomfortable being next to me," Reine pointed out. "Maybe it's you he wanted to ask."

"I called _you_, idiot," Neil spoke up, the pent up annoyance seeped out from his shell.

"I think you're the idiot here!" Reine glared back at him. "Why the heck you'd ask someone you're uncomfortable with to a walk in the woods?"

"That's—!" Neil gritted his teeth and Gwen sighed heavily. She glanced at him: _What're you going to say now?_

The blond man took a deep breath. "It's not the 'uncomfortable' that makes me don't wanna go in the woods with you."

Reine's brow shot up. "I'm losing you, Neil."

"Well, just say damn yes or no!"

Reine shrugged. "Might as well go foraging while I'm at it."

* * *

They walked past the Elder Tree, and then the mine. Reine collected some wild fruits—not so much—while Neil was literally walking and doing nothing else.

"Am I supposed to ask why are you asking me to go here?"

"Do you want to ask?"

"So that you know, Neil, I'm not hopeless when it comes to a fight."

"I'm not surprised," the blond shrugged. "You won't have to… just saying."

"Good…" she murmured.

They were deep in the forest when Neil abruptly stopped. Reine instinctively followed suit. He made a small circle with his thumb and index finger, put it into his mouth, and made a loud and long whistle.

"What are you—"

Suddenly, their faces were just inches away and Reine held her breath at the sight of his intense, magenta eyes. "Shut up."

A moment later, Reine heard movements from the bush. She turned her head slightly and saw a wolf came out carefully. Neil distanced himself away and held his hand out. The wolf approached him calmly and nuzzled his head. It was then Neil kneeled down and let the wolf nuzzled the crook of his neck.

More and more wolves came out and they surrounded Neil. Some of them grew wary at the sight of Reine. "She's not a danger," Neil said, then he turned to her. "Hold out your hand and let them nuzzle you."

"Why should I?"

"So that they're not feeling threatened, dumbass."

Despite making an audible 'tsk' sound, Reine lowered her body and let the wolves sniffed her. After a while, a wolf came to her and lowered his body. "You can pet him," Neil told her.

"O-okay…"

Reine ran her hand carefully across its fur. It was softer than she imagined it to be. Much to her surprise, the wolf made a purring voice; a smile broke through her face.

"I can't tell you exactly what I am," Neil said, bringing her attention back to him. "But, this, I can tell you: for as long as I can remember… these guys have been my friend. In fact, they were the ones who told me about this town."

"Why are you suddenly telling me this?"

Neil said nothing and now Reine knew that was her sign not to push any further. It wasn't like she was going to die because of not knowing it, right?

Suddenly, another wolf came out from the bush. It was significantly larger than the others, and the latter group tensed at its coming. Almost every wolf stood its ground as if a fight would break out at any moment. The wolf in Reine's hand stood up as well and faced the newcomer with his legs tense.

"Guys, please, he's not taking over your territory," Neil said, his voice not commanding, but more pleading. A moment later, the biggest wolf in the earlier group—the alpha male, Reine presumed—lowered his stance and went back to Neil. The blond smiled. "Thank you."

It was enough for Reine to know who the newcomer was. "Rod," she called.

The wolf faced her and grinned. It might seem intimidating, but she didn't feel that way; it looked more like a boyish grin to her. Despite being noticeably larger, his body was already covered with lacerations; it didn't take half a brain to deduce that the fight was intense.

"Why don't you settle down in the town?" Neil asked. "There's no way you can form a pack without a female."

Rod faced Neil; it seemed that Neil heard wolves' voice mentally while somehow they understood his verbal communication. "Well, she's not scared anymore now," Neil said, breaking the silence.

_Hm? Are they talking about me?_

"There's a difference between being 'shocked' and 'scared'," Neil continued.

"It was quite a shock," Reine admitted, drawing Rod's attention to her. "But, it's okay. Practice makes better, right?"

Rod looked back at Neil and the latter threw its long coat at him. Rod went behind the bushes while Neil seemingly told something to the rest of the wolves before they dispersed, but not before nuzzling Reine again in turn. "They said you smell nice."

"I hope not she's-a-prey kind of nice," Reine quipped half-jokingly. "…speaking of nice, you're much nicer than I give you credit for. I'm looking at you in a much better light now."

Neil rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Tch, just as I thought you were better!" Reine quipped, but they both laughed after that. As they did, Reine felt her heart clenched and its beat getting stronger by each second. She ignored it; somehow, it wasn't unpleasant, after all.

Who cares what Neil was if a friendship could still be built upon it?

* * *

_Seems like Reine is warming up to the idea of living in Echo Town for what it is..._

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^_


	11. The Reason

_Hey everyone! Thanks for the patience ^^ I'm a little bit busy these days so updating will slow down... sorry about that! Thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting this story; your encouragements mean a lot to me! ^^  
_

* * *

Gwen couldn't sleep that night. She tried, but the darkness that happened after she closed her eyes never lulled her. The brunette carefully rose and reached for the drawer next to her. She took out a small notebook from it and opened it; it was her funeral notebook.

She turned on the dim table lamp and opened the book. She remembered that she had been planning and re-planning her own funeral when she was bedridden in the hospital. The hymns, the things to be put inside of her coffin… things like that. Some of the pages were blotted with dried blood and her throat burned as she saw those marks.

Suddenly, she felt queasy. She quickly closed the book and put it away, however she wasn't quick enough to reach the bathroom and ended up coughing out blood midway.

_Oh, no… _she groaned, closing her mouth with her hand. _Please, stop…_

* * *

Reine woke up to a groaning voice. She rose and found Gwen was already kneeling on the floor, her back hunched over. Her hands were covering her mouth, blood seeping through the gap between her fingers. Reine leapt from her bed, "Gwen!" she cried out.

"I-I'm fine…" Gwen managed to say in between coughs.

"Don't give me that kind of crap!"

Reine hauled her sister to her back skillfully, ignoring the blood that began to smear her skin. "We're going to the clinic," she told her.

"Reine…"

"No buts, Gwen."

The pinkette had just reached for the doorknob when the door opened on its own. _No_, someone was opening it and it was none other than Allen. "Good evening, ladies," he greeted with a smirk. "A free ride to the clinic?"

"No way in hell," Reine replied, taking a step back. "How could I entrust my blood-covered sister to a blood-sucking vampire?!"

"Are you fast enough to ensure she's alive when you reach the clinic?" Allen asked. "Obviously, I have a better odds at that."

Reine gritted her teeth. "That's—"

"I'll take her," a voice joined in. It was the blond wolf whisperer.

"Won't you feed her to your wolves friends?!"

"Wolves don't actually eat humans, dumbass," Neil retorted. "Besides, they have preys aplenty in the forest."

"Why are you here then if not because of her blood?"

Neil rolled his eyes. "Is this the time to discuss that?!"

"Why don't we do this?" Allen suggested. "The Animal Idol can take Gwen on his back and I'll take _you_ on mine… you should be thankful, you know?"

* * *

Reine sat with arms crossed to keep as much heat as she could. Gwen was treated in the next room; she wanted to stay there but the doctor prohibited her. Allen and Neil stayed, too, sitting across her. Both men were watching her without her realizing it (if she did, she chose to simply ignore them).

"Her heartbeat is getting stronger," Allen told her. "Can start to hear that now."

"Why did you tell me that?"

"My, my, ever so harsh," Allen said with a mock hurt expression. "It would lessen your worry, yes?"

"Why are you being so kind?" Reine asked harshly. "I wouldn't normally associate the word 'vampire' with 'kindness'."

Allen chuckled. "I was a human too, you know?" he replied. "I must say, although the venom that replaced my blood made my skin colder than yours, doesn't mean I'm less hot than I've ever been," he ended with a playful wink, but Reine didn't react at all.

"Doesn't answer my question."

"You're one curious human," Allen remarked. "Although, I guess, most humans are…"

"So once you stop being human, you stop being curious, too?" Reine asked. "Because that's what I get from what you said."

"Not exactly," Allen told her. "But after living for centuries you realize that thanks to human's mortality, there's a pattern to… almost everything."

The redhead rose. "That being said, I must admit it's hard not to notice your sister's blood-stained scent, so I have to excuse myself."

Reine barely said anything when Allen just disappeared from her sight. Reine knew now, however, that he didn't teleport or do some space-time manipulation; it's just his superhuman speed made him to look as if he disappeared.

In any case, that left her only with the wolf whisperer who had not spoken a word ever since they came. Reine looked at him with puzzlement.

"Why do you stay?"

"I'm not finished," Neil replied quite abruptly. Uncharacteristically, he offered more words when he realized Reine was obviously confused. "The blood sucker's objective was to get your sister here in time and be saved… but that's not mine."

Reine held her breath. "Then, what's yours?" she asked with a low voice. "Why… are you even here, then?"

The blond wolf whisperer looked up and their eyes met, magenta to green. Even with only one eye, Reine could not deny the intensity that came from his eyes. Perhaps it was really true when people said: eyes were the windows to one's soul.

"Are _you_ alright?" he finally broke the silence, emphasizing the word 'you' so that he answered her question with no ambiguity.

That feeling came back again to her—the clenching of her chest. Reine put her hand above it and her eyes felt hot with threats from her own tears. "She had everything planned out… her funeral."

"She asked me for some inputs, but I didn't want to give her—I mean, who the hell said 'oh you should wear this dress inside the coffin'?!" Reine growled. "That was just… ridiculous, but she thought I was being uncooperative. She was kinda mad at me, but in the end she did it all by herself… planning her damn funeral."

Neil rose from his seat and moved to sit next to her. He left enough space for their skins to barely touch. "She knew because in the end, it would stick in your head not hers."

"So… you think I should've helped her out?"

"Wouldn't blame you either way."

"I don't want her to die…" Reine finally admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "…does that make me selfish?"

* * *

Gwen opened her eyes, groaning as she felt how stiff her body was. She saw the IV line; it was red. She looked at the other side of her bed. Reine was there, sleeping using her arms as her pillow on the edge of her bed. It was not a new sight at all—especially after Reine donating her blood again—except for one thing: she had a magenta coat on her as a makeshift blanket.

Whether Reine accepted it (very unlikely), or Neil left it after she slept (more likely), the fact was that Neil had most probably stayed with her sister until late… and Reine didn't push him away like many others who had tried in vain.

A moment later, the room became considerably darker. Gwen turned to the window, only to find that Allen was there, blocking the light with his back. He was sitting on the windowsill, his body leaning forward with a smirk gracing his porcelain-looking face. "Good morning, Guinevere Elizabeth," he greeted with his husky voice, keeping it low so as not to wake Reine up. "Good to see your green eyes again."

"The sun…" she murmured. "…won't it be too much?"

Allen chuckled. "Long gone were the days we were burned by the sun thanks to Darwinism and sunblock. Well, I might still end up with some burns, but nothing big."

"Still… draw the blind."

"Are you not afraid I'm going to attack you in the dark?"

"Are you that petty?"

He chuckled again and did as asked. He walked over to the bed, ending on the opposite side from Reine. "My, my, even on the brink of death you don't stop being kind."

Gwen looked into Allen's deep blue eyes. "Why…?"

"You sure you wanna know?" Allen asked teasingly. The brunette nodded nevertheless, so he agreed. "I wasn't the kind who fed exclusively on jerks. I mean, when you're hungry you can't be too picky, right?"

Gwen cringed. _How could he talk about that kind of stuff easily?!_

Allen noticed her discomfort, but they already passed the point of return. "I fed on those lucky enough to cross their paths with mine when I was starving. All of them muttered curses or swore revenge before they were dried to death… but many times I found afterwards that these people were what society classified as 'good'—do you see now, Guinevere Elizabeth?"

Gwen saw the look on his eyes. There was no remorse, but something akin to disgust. "Death brings out the true nature of mortals. My kind was believed to be the evil one… and I wouldn't say it was completely untrue or unfounded, but I think humans were the arrogant ones to have that holier-than-thou attitude."

"…it's not true," she protested meekly.

His features softened. "I realized that," he agreed. "I have to admit that, even with my long life, I still have a lot to learn."

"You are… humbler than I thought."

Her comment caught him off guard, although he didn't let it show and managed to keep up his performance. "I have more surprises… better ones," he winked playfully.

"So… why are you here?"

Allen held his breath, although the action went unnoticed by Gwen since it was so subtle. He knew he actually had no reason to be there for her; in fact, he had a reason _not_ to be there for her. Last night was fine, since she was unconscious and Reine wouldn't be likely to tell her that he was there… but why was he watching over her now?

No, no, he _knew_ why. Inwardly, deep inside his theoretically frozen heart, he _knew_ why, but of course he couldn't tell her. His head hurt by merely thinking about doing it, telling her.

"Just sleep, Guinevere Elizabeth…"

* * *

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^_


	12. There Were They

_violetperiwinkle: thanks! and I'm glad that you place your bet on this story and not regretting it ^^_

_teamBLAZE: hmm... that's an interesting take on Allen's behavior hehehe but no spoiler!_

_Peachie: yeah, sometimes I think so too! (the reincarnation stuff) Thanks for loving them ^^_

* * *

Rod ran to the town plaza when he noticed the pink head. "Reineeee!" he called, waving excitedly.

"Be careful," Neil reminded him, but went unheeded. Well, Rod had the agility of a gray wolf; he should be fine.

Rod trotted towards Reine and went behind her counter. Reine had learned to just take Rod's behavior in stride; he wasn't bothering her during business, anyway. "Anything I could help you with today, Reine?"

"No, it's okay, I got it."

Rod pouted and Reine couldn't help but to chuckle; somehow, she couldn't get angry at Rod's enthusiasm to help her out. Perhaps it was because she knew he didn't do that out of doubts towards her capability.

When Neil reached his usual spot, Rod helped him to set up the stall while Reine was content with simply watching them. She had heard about Rod's claiming to be previously acquainted with both Allen and Neil while Neil claimed he had never seen a real werewolf before this. Nevertheless, it seemed that they had become fast friends—most probably thanks to Rod never pressing the matter although he seemed to be hurt knowing Neil didn't remember him.

"Hello, everyone!"

They turned around to find Dunhill walking towards them. "Tonight the the Moonlight Festival."

"Moonlight?"

"Yes, we gather at the Festival Ground and watch the moonlight."

"I'll pass," Reine replied without batting an eyelid. "Gwen's not strong enough. Gonna go watch over her."

Unsurprisingly, Rod shuffled on his feet nervously. "Er… I'm sorry, I know this is my first festival and all… but I'll pass, too."

Dunhill smiled sympathetically. "It's okay, Rod. Do you need anything?"

"Just someone to watch over my house," Rod replied. "I'll be back after sunrise."

"I'll do that," Neil volunteered.

"Are you serious?" Rod asked, his eyes bright and hopeful.

"It's just next door, dumbass," Neil snorted, looking away from him. "It's not like I saved your life or anything!"

"But you did!" Rod exclaimed.

"Don't make such a big fuss over simple things," Neil growled.

It seemed to throw Rod off guard, but he quickly composed himself and said, "In any case, thanks man."

* * *

That night, the moon seemed to be closer and gloomier. It glowed in broken white—soft but dangerous. Now that the secret was out to them, there was no need to explain why they celebrated Moonlight Festival each month during full moon; Reine still trembled when she thought of what had happened to her and her sister.

_What did we get ourselves into…_ she groaned mentally.

"Reine," Gwen called from their room.

"Yea? You need anything, Gwen?"

Gwen walked out from the room in her nightgown. She had gotten stronger these past few days, thanks to the nagging doctor's assistance; his herbal concoction seemed to work for Gwen, too. Reine was actually wondering how long it would hold together… hopefully, with all this magic theory, this concoction would last long.

"Are you sure you're not going to the festival?"

Reine turned her whole body around. "No, it's okay, I want to stay here."

"It's not because they're… _those_, right?" she asked carefully.

"To be honest, partly," Reine admitted. "But I'd really rather watch over you, Gwen."

Gwen puffed her cheeks. "I'm a big girl, Reine, I can take care of myself."

Reine smiled and messed Gwen's hair affectionately. "You'll always be my _little_ _sister_," she said. "Got it?"

Suddenly, they heard something from up above; it was like something was dropped on their roof. "I'm gonna check that out," Reine said.

She walked to the back of the house and took the ladder. She leaned it against the wall and began to climb. A pair of combat boots was the first thing that came into her vision when she reached the top.

"Neil?" she asked. "You know a front door is there for a reason, right?"

"I was about to go down when you came up here," Neil replied nonchalantly. "Where's Gwen?"

"Down, of course," Reine rolled her eyes. "Don't call her up here, it's too chilly."

Neil sat down on the roof. "I guess so…"

Reine climbed up and walked carefully towards him. "What are you doing on our roof?" she asked. "Didn't you _volunteer_ to watch over Rod's house?"

"I can see that just okay from here," Neil replied, his head nodding to the direction of the said building. "I'm just…"

At that time, Reine was already settling down next to him, folding her legs in front of her body and wrapped them in her arms. She looked sideways, at Neil, and watched his features. She had admitted that he was good-looking, but up close, he was _dangerously_ so. Plus, the golden part of him wasn't just his hair—his heart, too, and that's what had really drawn her to him no matter how hard she tried to deny it.

She was falling for him… fast.

"Are you… those kinds, too?" she asked. "You know, getting stronger during full moon?"

"No," he replied. "Just the same."

Inwardly, Reine wanted to believe that he was _human_; that her story with him—if there was at all—would just be a normal, almost boring, kind of story. Besides his ability to communicate with wolves and his speed, he was so human that she really wanted to…

_Kiss him_.

She didn't know when he realized that she had been staring at him… from the beginning, perhaps?

"What are you looking at?"

Reine looked at his deep, magenta eyes. For once, she could be grateful to her half-blindness because that cut away the portion of the scenery and allowed her to look at him better. "You…" her reply came softer than she'd admit, even to herself.

This time, under the moonlight, she could see his cheeks turned to a faint shade of pink. "What's there to look at?" he mumbled nervously.

"Everything, dumbass," she replied. "Just… everything."

The next thing she knew was the feeling of his hand on her left cheek; it was warm. His hand travelled up to her eye and she lowered her eyelids slightly and felt his fingers brushed against her eyelashes. He swept her bangs sideways. "I'd rather look at you instead," he said just a moment before she saw him leaning in. She closed her eyes and felt the light pressure on her lips.

It was brief, before he pulled back just as quickly as he had advanced earlier. She opened her eyes and found him, still holding her face. For a moment, Reine found herself asking what was the meaning of this—the kiss—and that this was too sudden, too… accidental?

But, then, she found that she couldn't care less about that. There was her and there was him.

There were they.

She reached out to him, cupped his face in her small, calloused hand, and before he could make a comment on how rough her skin was—if he wanted to in the first place—she leaned forward and kissed him.

Neil pulled her closer and deepened their kiss and that moment he knew that Reine was:

His moonlight, or whatever source of his power was.

His kryptonite, his Achilles' heel.

His life and death.

* * *

_Was it heat of the moment kind of thing or was it something more?_

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading, please rate and review ^^_


	13. Auld Lang Syne

_Hey everyone, thanks for waiting! I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter! ^^_

* * *

When Reine opened her eyes, she was already back on her bed. She rose up and folded her knees to her chest.

_Was that… a dream?_

"Reine? Are you awake?"

"Gwen…?"

Gwen came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed as Reine rose up. "What happened?"

"All I knew was Neil carried you down."

_So… it's real?_

"You should talk to him," Gwen told her. "He was pretty worried."

Reine nodded and Gwen left her. The pinkette tried to replay what happened the night before, but she couldn't remember anything beyond she kissed him.

Then the realization dawned on her.

_I really kissed him, didn't I? This is shameful, and I thought I'm not gonna fall for his looks. Okay, he got more than looks but still… wolf-whisperer? This isn't going to be some sappy forbidden romance… oh goodness._

"AAAARGGHH!"

* * *

"What?! You kissed him?!"

"Not so loud!"

Rio and Reine hauled another batch of tomatoes into the shipping basket. Today, Reine's shop was closed, but she agreed to help the earth nymph with her harvest; it could get a bit out of hand even for an earth nymph, sometimes.

"I knew this is gonna happen!"

"What?"

"You, Neil, together," the nymph chortled. "Actually, it's Dunhill's prediction."

"Wha—?!" Reine almost choked on her saliva. "This is getting more and more ridiculous… and we're _not_ together."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Rio asked. "You guys kissed, right?"

"Right, and then I remember nothing else."

"Neil isn't the verbal type," the blond said as she cut another ripe tomato from its stalk. "He kissed you. He likes you."

"There's this thing called 'heat of the moment'."

"Well, do you think it's that way?"

Reine paused at that question. Rio had a point: was it a simple heat of the moment thing for her? Or was it… some kind of release after an unbearable build-up?

"I…"

"Speak of the devil."

Reine turned to see what Rio was looking at: Neil. The wolf whisperer walked towards the farm casually with both of his hands deep in his coat pocket… well, maybe not so casually when his face was slightly pink. He walked towards Reine. "I was told that you're here."

"By whom? My sister? Your wolf friends?"

"Both."

"Okay," Reine said, trying to sound as neutral as possible, although after having that conversation with Rio didn't help her heart to calm down at the sight of this certain man. Somehow, she could feel his nervousness, too… was it that obvious? "Anything I could help?"

"I thought you might wanna talk."

Reine frowned. _How did he…?_

"No matter," Neil said, as if reading her mind. "I was thinking we could talk now."

"I'm helping Rio—"

"Oh, take her!" Rio pushed Reine slightly towards Neil. "Thank you for your help, Reine. I'll deliver your share to Gwen!"

* * *

They walked in a comfortable pace towards the forest. For a moment, Reine thought Neil would use his superhuman speed with her in tow, but it seemed that he enjoyed just walking the way they were and she found that to be enjoyable, too. With both plaza stalls closed, it was less crowded there. Reine was afraid that Neil might find out how her heart had been beating faster against her chest and she felt ashamed to feel like a teenage fangirl around this person although she couldn't deny it by now. _She kissed him._

"How's Rod?" she asked casually, trying not to bring their kiss back into her head.

"Back. Safe and sound," he replied. "The wolf pack helped."

"I thought they were… aggressive towards him?"

"They thought he was a rival to their territory," Neil explained. "Now that they know he doesn't, they're more willing to help."

"It sounds like they still need some persuasion."

Neil sighed. "More like magic," he said. "Dunhill put them under a light submission spell, I heard."

"Oh… he was also the one who put up the… barrier, right?"

Neil nodded. "He's Merlin."

Reine stopped on her track. "M-Merlin?! Like the one from Arthurian stories?"

Neil raised his right eyebrow. "What's there to be so surprised about?" he asked, but with no condescending attitude. "You've seen werewolf and vampire. At least Merlin is—technically—human."

"Well…"

Finally, they reached the Elder Tree, the largest tree in the forest. Its leaves were so thick that they could get almost a complete protection from the sun. Neil stopped when they reached the shade under the Elder Tree and Reine followed suit.

"I'm not good with words," he said. "I thought girls are supposed to be… good at picking up hints."

"That's over-generalization."

Neil shrugged. "I know there would be _exceptions_, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised if that's you."

"Pardon?"

Suddenly, his blush became apparent even under the shade towards a half-blind girl. Reine held her breath as she looked at him. He glanced sideways in embarrassment. "I… I never thought I'd fall for anyone."

"You're an exception, Miss Kreiss. You're _my _exception."

It took some moments for Reine to understand what he was saying—_and he said he wasn't good with words —_but when she did understand, she reached up and touched his cheek. "Look at me," she said while gently pressing her hand against his cheek so that their eyes met.

"You know… I couldn't see well, right?"

"Yeah."

"That I don't easily trust people?"

"Duh, isn't that subtle."

"That I'm not the sweetest girl around?"

"I hate sweets."

That got her to chuckle. "I guess I have nothing against you either," she said. "But what are we now, then?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Reine smirked. "Are you sure? I can be pretty territorial, if you get what I mean."

"Try me," Neil replied. "I'm a wolf whisperer."

Neil finally took his right hand out from his pocket and showed Reine a ring, making the latter widened her eyes in surprise. Adding to the surprise, Neil took out his left hand and revealed that he had worn a ring around his ring finger—an identical one he offered to Reine. That got her to smile and she offered her right hand. "So that I can always see it," she reasoned. It was then she realized that Neil had put his ring around his left finger because it would always be within her vision field when they stood face to face like this. He was… surprisingly thoughtful.

Neil nodded and slid the ring to her ring finger. Reine raised her hand and looked at her new ring against the summer sun; it was a simple, silvery band engraved with the word: "Auld lang syne?"

"You ended the old me."

There weren't many words, but somehow she understood what he was trying to say. She felt it too: he ended the long time of her being alone and trying to fend off for her and Gwen all by herself. And every time she saw the words on that ring, she knew that those time would simply be auld lang syne—times gone by.

"And for something you don't really need to see."

He cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her. He could feel her giggling against his lips but she kissed him back.

It was funny, how he had no idea how he held it together before he held her just like this.

* * *

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Please rate and review ^^_


	14. Leaving Time

_Sorry for the long wait! I've been busy these days and most likely I will still be, but I won't abandon this story (and the rest of my stories, so to speak)_

_teamBLAZE: Agreed! This is the fastest Neil-Reine relationship I've ever written (13 chapters). Of course I have a reason for this seemingly turbo relationship and there will be hints about that in this chapter ^^_

* * *

"You're dating him?" Gwen couldn't hide her amusement. "Neil?"

"What? You think it's too fast?"

"No—okay, perhaps—but you seem happy."

Reine blushed and Gwen laughed. "One season ago you're on each other's throat. I just can't believe it."

"Neither do I," the pinkette admitted. She rolled the ring around her finger slowly. "But, it didn't feel wrong either."

"Then, I don't see anything wrong with you guys dating each other."

"I guess…"

Suddenly, the door flew open and Rod ran in. "Reine!"

The sisters turned to face him and he suddenly hugged Reine. "I heard you're dating Neil now! Congrats!"

"Wha—how?"

"Wolves can gossip too, y'now!" Rod grinned. "And they don't lie."

Reine frowned. Somehow, she didn't quite believe wolves believed in the notion of 'dating'. "What did they say exactly?"

"That you're Neil's mate?" Rod replied, "I mean, well, I know it should mean dating in humans, duh."

"Wait, Neil is a human?!"

Rod gasped. His eyes switched between the two women. Gwen was shocked, too, and now he had no idea how he should approach this. "Well…" he shifted nervously on his feet.

"Well?" Reine demanded. "Is he a human?"

To be honest, Reine felt wrong to ask this kind of question to Rod instead of Neil. She was his girlfriend, was she not? Nevertheless, Neil didn't seem to be willing to disclose that information—at least for the time being—and she really wanted to know what he really was. He couldn't be just a mere wolf-whisperer, right? If he were, shouldn't more 'whisperers' be here?

"I met him…" Rod began. "Ten years ago, perhaps? I wasn't quite sure."

Gwen, sensing that it would be quite a long story, gestured to Rod to take a seat. He did and continued after sitting across the sisters. "At that time, I lived as a wolf in Siberia. As you know, I am considerably larger than normal wolves, so I got hunted down."

"He… I had no idea why he was there, but he took the bullets meant for me," Rod pointed at his chest. "Right here."

Gwen and Reine looked at him in disbelief. "How could he survive that?"

Rod shrugged. "What's more, the hunter ran away in fear. I stayed with him, I tried to wake him up, but he didn't move at all…" Rod looked downwards and Reine could feel his sadness as if she had reopened a wound that he had meticulously closed. "The next day, some people came and took him away. They let me go… and I thought I'd never see him again."

The sisters looked at each other. It would be unlikely that Rod got the wrong person; it was not the kind of memory you would easily let go.

"But, maybe he was pretending to be dead—or his body went through a death trance!" Rod said in a sudden cheerful tone. "Who knows? It might happen, right?"

"So now you aren't sure he's not human?"

"I don't think he is," Rod nodded. "He passed through the Mist!"

"We did, too," Reine told him. "And I can assure you we're humans."

"How could you be so sure?" Rod asked. "Remember the Witch Hunt?"

"Uh-huh?"

"That caused many wizards and witches to build a separate world to protect their identity. In the past, there were many… purges, so to speak, to eradicate people like us."

"So, you were trying to say that one of our ancestors was not human," Gwen noted.

"Yep! Like Felicity, right?"

Felicity was a half-mermaid and her half-breed status gave her more troubles instead of the best of both worlds; she was rejected by both humans and merpeople. Thankfully Clement, himself part merman, took her under his wing and brought her to the town.

All in all, Rod's conjecture didn't seem impossible at all. Now that they lived in this town, everything seemed to be possible.

"But how long it could stay?" Reine asked, now really curious about this. "You know… the traits."

Rod shrugged. "I don't think it's the same for each species. For werewolf traits, they're not apparent on fourth and subsequent generation if the other mates were humans."

Reine leaned back into the couch. "Now you make me curious…" she said. "About who we are… who Neil is…"

* * *

Neil was walking through the forest when he sensed another presence nearby. He immediately stopped and looked up. True enough, someone was standing on one sturdy branch of one of the trees. He jumped down and landed right in front of him. Like Neil, his eyes were sharp; however, it appeared more purplish than Neil's. His sun-kissed skin and overall black attire were a direct contrast to his gleaming silvery hair. Neil stood straight in front of him and—against the usual rules—it was he who spoke up first.

"Vaughn,"

His partner was not annoyed. They had never cared much about rules, after all.

"It seemed that you've settled down well in this town."

Neil cringed. He knew what Vaughn was really trying to get at. Neil could feel his heart beat furiously against his chest. If Vaughn, from all people, came here to talk about it, something would surely happen.

"It is not a mistake," Neil insisted. "And it happens not because what you think it was. I have faith it that."

Vaughn couldn't suppress an amused grin. "From all people, I didn't think you would say that," he said. "Then again… I guess it should be expected."

"What are you really trying to say?" Neil really couldn't handle the suspense. Not when he thought he could finally be happy with his existence.

Vaughn took a breath and looked into his eyes. He knew he had to break it to Neil, sooner than later. "Leave her."

"An affair with a mortal can never be good. For both of you."

Neil clenched his fist. "I don't want to."

"I don't even need my power to see what kind of mess this stubbornness will get you into."

"I don't give a shit about what you think you see. I finally found that silver lining in this and you told me to screw this?" Neil growled, "_You _leave, Vaughn."

For a moment, Vaughn eyes glowed. Neil knew what it meant but like he had said: he didn't give a shit. After his eyes were back to normal, Vaughn told him.

"Believe me, Neil… _you _would leave her."

* * *

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^_


	15. The Red Strings, The Choice

_Hey everyone, thanks for waiting! Looking how things are, I can say that Neil's secret can be out soon. Hopefully you guys won't be bored waiting!_

_Now, enjoy this chapter ^^_

* * *

Neil walked back to the town, clearly bothered by the words Vaughn had left him with. Vaughn wasn't the kind who would give an empty bark; he bit.

The blond man remembered one of his conversations with Hana. It happened when he was still very new to the town; Hana had been the one taking care of him as if he was her own grandson. She told him her real identity, even showed him the tapestry. It was a tapestry consisted wholly of red strings, but each string was of a different shade of red. He didn't know how it could be possible—how they were all red and yet different—but it happened. She pointed at one particular thread and told him that it was his.

_We are all a part of the bigger picture, _she had said back then.

He remembered that among all other strings connected to him, there was one particular string that caught his eye. It had joined with his string just in one stitch, but then came again after a few skips.

_One encounter that leads to more,_ she told him. _Whose string this is, I cannot tell. How the two of you will meet again is a secret not even I have the privilege to._

He could tell now that string must have belonged to Reine; it could only be hers.

If only he could know whether this would lead to…

"Neil?"

He perked up at the call of his name and the pinkette stood before him, her usually harsh green eyes emitted gentle concern he wasn't—but was willing to get—used to. Her name rolled on his tongue easily.

"Reine…"

"Something botherin' you?"

He looked at the sky; it was a bright autumn day with only thin clouds visible. "Are you free now?" he asked.

"Right now?" she asked back. "Yeah."

"Let's go on a walk."

"By walk you mean date?" she asked playfully.

His heart beat a little bit faster, but he agreed. "It's a date."

Reine chuckled and nodded, turning around so they faced the same scenery. "Where to?"

"You'll know when we're there."

* * *

Gwen stared at the package on the table with a heavy mind. The town doctor, Klaus, was the one who gave it to her.

_It's entirely up to you, of course, but must I remind you that time is not in you favor?_

Ever since she was diagnosed, she didn't know how many kinds of treatments that she had tried. As the treatment proved no match to the disease in her body, she slowly began to lose hope. Slow enough not to notice until it was gone and she was ready to greet Death, instead of a prince on white steed, to take her away forever.

She knew, of course, that Klaus was not an ordinary doctor. He was different. He was the closest thing to a witch doctor (or wizard doctor, as he was a male). She was sure that his medication would be different as well.

But, how much of a difference would it be that it would really save her? Plus, did she really want to be saved? What's being saved to her—living longer or finally dead?

Gwen sighed and put the medication into the drawer.

Perhaps some other time.

* * *

Neil snickered. "You're so _slow_."

"Oh, I'm sorry for having a human speed." Reine rolled her eyes as she took another step forward and upward.

Much to her surprise, the animal trader laughed, albeit lightly. "It's okay, it's fun waiting for you."

"Fun teasing me for it, you mean," she retorted. Part of herself regretted that she didn't take him up on his offer to carry her earlier, but the larger part of her was glad to see him loosen up. "Geez, thanks for being so easy to please."

Finally, she managed to catch up with him after he pulled her up in the end to help her. She didn't expect that there was a small plain field in the forest, just next to the waterfall. It was a pretty secluded spot.

Neil spread his arms and took a deep breath. "Isn't this nice, Reine?" he asked. "I don't think there's anyone else knows this place."

"There's me," she replied.

Neil grinned. The look that he gave her was really boyish and rather vulnerable, a fresh change from his usual tough thug shell. "That's okay."

Reine shrugged, trying not to be too obvious with her racing heartbeat. "If you say so…"

On one side, she wanted to ask Neil what's bothering him. On the other side, she didn't want to ruin his apparent jovialness; it didn't come too often. Besides, he would tell her what's bothering him when he wanted to, right?

_He didn't tell you what he really is,_ a distinct voice in her heart told her. Was it her conscience? Her… mind?

_He must have had a good reason—_

_Listen to how silly you sound right now, Renaissance._

"…Reine?"

Reine blinked once, then twice, and found Neil was looking at her, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"I…"

Feeling that words couldn't really explain, Reine reached out to him and wrapped her arms around his warm body. "W-What are you doing?!" he asked, obviously flustered.

Reine felt her heart beat faster by each second. So fast she could hear her own heartbeat. She didn't care if he could, too, she actually wanted him to hear that. Her ear was pressed against his chest and her fingers spread across his back.

She closed her eyes, slowly finding his heartbeat.

It was there; he had it.

He was breathing, live and well.

But… what was this feeling that kept nudging at her? Was it what Rod had told her?

She felt his hands on her back, pulling her towards him. The distance between their bodies was now simply their clothing. Slowly, one of his hands traveled to her face and she pulled herself slightly so their eyes could meet. A moment later, he bent down and kissed her.

When their lips pressed against each other, she didn't hold her breath; he took it away.

* * *

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading, please rate and review ^^_


	16. Their Red Strings, His Story

Miracle. That's the word Gwen used to describe Reine's life.

They talked about her during the Moonlight Festival, after he put her on her bed. It was then Gwen told him about the traffic accident that took her left eye.

_"From what I heard, she shielded a little girl when the second crash happened. It crushed the left side of her upper body… nobody thought she could make it… and when she did, there was nothing else that could describe that than a miracle."_

Five years. It had been five years since he fell.

Ever since then, he didn't look back on his past. However, thanks to Vaughn, he now did. Neil turned around and looked at the peacefully sleeping Reine. Just like last time on the roof, she just fainted after they kissed.

When it happened on the roof, as unromantic as it sounded, he thought she was sleepy. Thus, he just simply took her back to her house and put her on the bed.

However, when it happened again, Neil began to think that there might be other explanations.

* * *

_"This is Neil," Vaughn told the stranger. "Neil, meet Mark. He's our Reaper-in-Charge."_

_Not knowing what to do, Neil bowed slightly. Much to his confusion, Mark laughed. "I can totally see you are the blond and fair version of Vaughn already!"_

_Neil kept his mouth shut. Vaughn had been the one mentoring him through the training period, so it wasn't a surprise if some things just rubbed off to him._

_"You're ready for the field trip?"_

_"It's not a field_ trip_, Mark," Vaughn reminded him. "Sometimes I have no idea how you got promoted to a Reaper."_

_Neil looked at Vaughn quizzically. "What? Do you think Reapers were born just like that?"_

_"They're not?"_

_"Well, your Theory score isn't exactly the best in the cohort…" Mark commented. "But if you don't know about that I guess you're even worse."_

_Neil groaned. "I'm not exactly the studious type."_

_Vaughn quickly came to his defense. "Deliverance doesn't need the knowledge on how you got promoted."_

_Mark laughed good-naturedly. "Fair point," he said. "Okay, Neil, basically there are two kinds of Reapers: Heavenly and Hellish, based on their origins before they got promoted. I was just like you until… five years ago?"_

_Neil nodded, although he actually didn't care much about it. He'd just do his job: delivering souls that had been reaped by the Reaper—Mark in this case—well enough not to get sacked._

_He was assigned to the Gabriel Corps: those dealing with any kind of delivery, mostly souls from Earth or either Purgatory or directly to Heaven. He had heard that sometimes they'd have a special order of delivering some kind of messages to the chosen people, although Neil figured he'd better master the art of Soul Deliverance first before thinking about that 'special order'._

_"Today we got a big order," Mark announced. "Massive traffic accident."_

* * *

Neil's actual power wasn't limited to communicating with wolves (and coyotes and dogs, to a more limited extent). Compared to his peers, he had a sharpened sense of smell and hearing, making it hard for someone to actually sneak up on him.

"What are you doing here, Vaughn?"

Vaughn came out from behind the trees and walked over to Neil. "You have a dying mortal among you," he reminded him. "Thanks to her, I could locate this town."

Neil didn't say anything. He knew that once a mortal was assigned for Deliverance, the agent would be able to locate the mortal wherever he or she was. Neil was told that even the end of Earth wouldn't be a problem, but he used to doubt that. He didn't now; if this magically protected town wasn't an exception, nothing was.

"So long as you have a mortal, this town is not fully protected…"

"This town wasn't meant for mortals," Neil replied. "I had no idea why they could pass through the barrier."

Vaughn sighed. "Then you're really dumber than I gave you credit for."

Neil rose and turned towards Vaughn. "What the—"

"Remember what you did, Neil."

Neil froze.

* * *

_When they arrived at the scene, it was messier than depicted in classes. Mark divided the job among the team members and when he got to Neil, he said: "Since this is your Day 1, I'd give you the straight delivery. This one is on express track to Heaven."_

_"Can I ask why?"_

_"Of course!" Mark happily agreed. "She shielded a total stranger from an incoming impact. That kind of sacrifice bypasses Purgatory."_

_Neil nodded blankly and thought nothing of it. For all he cared, he just needed to pick her soul after the Reaping and took her to the Heaven's Gate. Simple. He took the paper and gave it a quick read. There was a photograph attached on it._

What a strange hair_, he thought to himself._

* * *

Vaughn took the chance to get closer to Reine. "Mark was notified by the Court this morning. If you… rectify your mistake, you will be accepted back into the Corps."

Neil, sensing what Vaughn was about to do, dashed and pushed him away from the still unconscious Reine. "Like I'd let you to do that!"

* * *

_He found his Mortal lying on her stomach amidst a pool of blood he suspected to be her own. Her left arm was twisted in an awkward angle, not to mention the bone that protruded out from it._

_Beside her there was a little girl—must be the one who paved her fast track to Heaven—shaking her body carefully._

_"Miss… Miss…"_

_She looked at him and much to his surprise, she yelled at him. "Mister! You're not going to just stand around there, right?!"_

_Children was favored by Him... and people with pure hearts, too. Therefore, their eyes were given the gift to see through protective aura that cloaked divine beings from mortal's eyes. He learned about that; he just didn't expect to experience that on his first day on the job._

_"What do you want me to do?"_

_"Save her!"_

_Neil could still sense that his Mortal's heart was still beating, but as the seconds ticked by it grew weaker as the pool grew beneath her. It's not going to be for long until that heart stopped beating and Mark would arrive._

_A Reaping could only be done if the subject's heart had stopped beating, or the subject couldn't breathe on its own for a prolonged time._

_"Mister!"_

_Neil crouched down, next to his Mortal, and put his hand on her head—right on the biggest visible wound. He could feel that his newly acquired power as a Deliverer gathered at the hand that he placed over her. This was the time to test his limit: what else could he deliver?_

_Slowly, her heartbeat grew stronger._

_The moment she drew in another breath and the little girl squealed in happiness and hugged him, Neil felt much weaker. He realized that the protective aura was gone._

_The next moment, Mark and Vaughn came behind him, both of them were struck by the horror of his deed._

_"Neil… what have you done?!"_

* * *

There were moments when he thought it was a mistake as well, that he shouldn't have revived his Mortal. But now, he thought that it was the correct decision despite the cost he had to bear.

Now, he even had his senior and mentor in his hand, threatening lest he would take her away.

"How long do you think you could sustain that?" Vaughn snickered. "You fell to the Earth because of her, now you're falling even deeper than that _for_ her! Is she worth it?!"

"Is it wrong to love someone? And I thought He was about love."

Neil sensed another figure behind him and he turned around. Mark, clad in his black cloak, stood there with his scythe. "The Divine Court was aware that at that moment, you had no feelings towards her. You were a newborn, Neil… and it is never wrong to love someone," he said. "But it _is_ wrong if you keep altering her destiny in the name of love-coated selfishness."

Neil hissed. The appearance of a Reaper nearby a mortal—especially one that was supposed to be dead—was never good.

"This girl could make it through the barrier thanks to your power that kept her heart beating until now… and her sister was lucky, because they had been holding hands during the journey…" Mark walked slowly towards Reine. Neil released Vaughn and tackled Mark away. As always, Mark just laughed.

"Relax, I'm not here to reap her away," he said. "No matter why and how weak, her heart is still beating… I can't reap her."

"Then, why are you here?"

"Vaughn had told you about the Court's decision, hadn't he?" he replied. "I came to add something… you have a deadline."

"Deadline?"

"Five years from now… if until then you don't deliver her, you'll be incinerated on the spot. You'll cease to exist… forever." Mark touched Neil's heart with the tip of his scythe. "And by the way, your power may be nestled in her heart so it keeps beating… but that isn't hers."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Love opens two hearts so they become one," Mark explained. "In your case, every time your hearts are open to each other… your power will reach you back, which was why you're strong enough to tackle both of us earlier."

Neil gritted his teeth. _So that's why Reine always faints after…_

"It starts with a short fainting, and then it'll be longer and longer… until I can reap her."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's an… advanced notification, Neil," Mark said grimly. "The more you open your hearts to each other… the faster the Reaping would be."

"I won't let you sonova…"

Suddenly, Mark threw Neil on the ground and pinned him hard. Neil tried to struggle, but Mark cloaked himself in the black aura. Neil was stunned; even Vaughn who stood some distance away couldn't help but to break a sweat over the surprisingly chilling impression of the energy.

"Mind your language, Fallen Angel," he whispered. "I might seem easy… but I _never_ repeat my mistakes… after all, there's a reason why I rose and you fell."

* * *

_A fallen angel who falls in love with a mortal..._

_Now that the Reaper himself has made his appearance, what would Neil's choice be?_

_Stay tuned to find out!_

_Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think of this reveal! ^^_


	17. Their Red Strings, His Decision

_Hey everyone! In this chapter, I will heavily reference to Full Metal Alchemist. Of course FMA does not belong to me!_

_Nevertheless, enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Reine opened her eyes and Neil was there, facing away from her. They were still where she remembered them to be, but of course in a different position.

"Neil," she called and he turned. "Did… did that happen again?"

"That?"

Reine took a deep breath. She couldn't think of any less awkward way to say it. "You know… I never remember a thing after we kissed."

He looked at her, his expression betraying none of his emotion. "We talked and you fell asleep."

"Really?" she asked. "What did we talk about?"

"Nothing much," he said curtly as he stood up. "The sun's setting soon. I'll walk you back."

Of course she could tell that he was upset: was it because of her dozing off during their conversation? How could such thing happened anyway; she was sure as hell she wasn't even sleepy when they walked here. Why she couldn't remember even a bit of their conversation? Was she going senile… in this young age? An early onset of Alzheimer's? (spending most of your time in the hospital let you know about one thing or two)

Pushing her thoughts aside for a moment, Reine followed Neil. He shoved his hands deep into his coat pocket and said nothing as they walked back into town. If anything, he seemed to be in an even worse mood than when he went.

"Neil… look, I'm really sorry." She sighed. "I don't remember what we talked about and I just dozed off like that… even for me, it's unacceptable. Would you mind… refreshing my memory?"

"No, it's okay," he replied. "It's not your fault. It's mine."

"Hm?"

"Never mind, Reine… I'm saying it's okay, okay?"

They finally reached her place. Reine turned to face him and she looked into his eyes. Was it anger that she saw… or sadness? She stood there, not moving, trying to find the answer.

"Reine," he finally said. "I…"

She waited, fearing that if she said something, his words would never surface. He averted his gaze, avoiding her eyes, and looked down. Finally, he sighed.

"Never mind."

* * *

He couldn't even tell her how he felt, fearing that it would cause even more of his power to leave her. Only now he could sense that he was getting stronger—literally so—for each second that passed being with her. How couldn't he realize it sooner? How could he be so foo—well, he was never a smartass back in the Academy, anyway.

Nevertheless, now he knew where he should go.

He knocked on the door of the house he had in mind with urgency. The door slid open; Hana looked understandably confused. "Is there anything you need, Neil?"

"Actually, there is," he replied, his voice filled with conviction. "Show me your tapestry."

Hana looked puzzled, but allowed the young man to come in. She walked towards the cupboard and pulled out the tapestry. Neil leaned over. "Which string is mine?"

"This one," Hana replied while pointing at a particular string.

"And… Reine's?"

"This one," she pointed at another string woven to his; a scarlet string.

"If these two are separated… that means we are too, right?"

"Yes, but—"

Not listening to the rest of the sentence, Neil immediately reached for the two strings and pulled them apart. His fingers burned and moving the strings felt more like moving a fully loaded wagon.

"Neil!" Hana cried out, desperately trying to pull him away. However, her old body was not a match for Neil who just had regained a considerable portion of his power. "Don't do that! What had been joined cannot be parted—you should know better!"

_What therefore God had joined, let no one separate._

He had gone against his God once and he had no qualms for doing that again—besides, Hana wasn't exactly _his_ goddess; they're from different 'school of faith', so to speak. Slowly, he could feel a space growing between their strings. His aim was to separate the two until the end of the shorter string, whichever it would be.

Suddenly, there was a beam of an even stronger light came and Neil was thrown away to the wall. Neil watched in awe as he saw three old women came from the light: one with a distaff and a spindle, one with a measuring rod and another one with a pair of jet black—with a hint of red on their blades—shears. They spoke in unison, so were their voices, giving rise to their eeriness as their voices reverberated in the room like a choir.

_"Those who defies Fates shall pay the price! You shall wish for Death you shall never have!"_

Neil tried to get up, but found that he was pinned to the wall with unseen forces. He struggled, but it was no use: he had used up most, if not all, of his strength in separating his and Reine's threads.

The three sisters slowly walked towards him, but Hana went in between them. "Sisters!" she cried out. "You have forgotten the oath we agreed upon the sacred river!"

The trio stopped and Hana, seeing the chance, went on: "Spare him, I beg of you!"

After what felt like an eternity, the sister who held the distaff and spindle nodded. This time, she spoke alone: "But he shall receive a punishment still, for altering fates."

She pointed the sharp end of her spindle towards Neil. "The arm which stretched out to be her sword and the leg which stood tall to be her shield… we shall take them away."

The moment her sentence was finished, Neil felt a burning pain from his right shoulder and left knee. The pain was so unbearable that he couldn't hold back his scream. He fell to his side, clutching to his right shoulder. Much to his horror, instead of his arm, he felt a hole opened out at the end of his shoulder with blood streaming out from it. He glanced down to find that the lower half of his left leg was missing as well; pools of blood began to form at both ends of his body.

"Neil!" Hana cried out.

Her voice came as if she spoke from a great distance as his vision started to blur. He didn't even have enough energy to breathe properly. Neil glanced up at the laid out tapestry to see whether he had managed to separate them long enough. Five years was all he needed.

Five years… how long could that be when put into a tapestry?

He could feel Hana's hand on his non-existent right arm and that was when keeping his eyes open was too much.

He thought of her, of them, of how things were and would be.

"Amare… salvare… vivere…"

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_

_Please rate and review! ^^_


	18. The Fading Moon

_It has been a long time since I updated; I'm sorry for the long wait!_

_I hope you will enjoy this chapter!_

_teamBLAZE: kinda like that, yes ^^_

_Disclaimer: Parts of this chapter are inspired from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson instalments. I'm not Rick Riordan. You'll know when you get there._

* * *

The dish fell onto the wooden floor and shattered. Reine held her chest, gasping in pain, while using her other arm to support her against the sink.

"Reine!"

Reine could feel Gwen's cold hands against her sweating skin. "I'm… fine…" she managed to say. "Just…"

"Geez… you're not!" she chided. "Let's go to the bedroom."

Gwen helped her sister towards their room. Just as Reine sat down on the edge of the bed, someone knocked on their door impatiently. Reine gently let Gwen's hand off her shoulder. "Open the door, I… I'll be fine."

Gwen nodded and ran lightly towards the door. It was Rod, panting heavily.

"Is Reine there?"

"Yes, why?"

"Neil got into an accident!"

* * *

Reine stood still as she looked at Neil, unconscious on the clinic's bed with a missing arm and half of a leg. Everyone else was looking at her, worried about how she would take it, but Reine was a master in concealing her emotions herself. The pinkette looked up at Klaus. "So… when is he going to wake up?"

"Probably in a few hours," Klaus replied. "But, be mindful that he will be in a lot of pain."

She nodded thoughtfully. "An accident… how did _that_ happen?"

Everyone's eyes were then directed at Hana. The elderly woman was at loss as to what she should say: Neil was trying to separate his Thread of Fate from Reine's? How could she say that when Reine was the one asking her? Why did he try to do that in the first place? Well, there was what her sisters was saying… _the arm which stretched out to be her sword and the leg which stood tall to be her shield_… he was trying to protect her… from what?

Even for Hana, there were too many unknowns.

"I… couldn't say," she finally said.

Reine didn't press for answers. There was no use of knowing why—or at least she thought so for the time being. She looked at Gwen. "Go home."

"You're going to stay here?" Gwen knew it was a dumb question. "You were in pain!"

"I'm fine," Reine insisted. "Go home."

Gwen gazed at her sister. Her face suggested nothing of her emotions, but that only made her worry even more. "Reine…"

* * *

Gwen went home accompanied by Rod with a lot rushing through her mind. Neil and Reine… she had honestly thought that it would be a mere fling; two lonely souls attracted to each other. However, she saw the look in her sister eyes when she saw Neil's current condition. It was not one of repulsion; it was the same kind of eyes that had watched over her when she was the one lying helplessly on a similar kind of bed. It was the gentleness Reine had managed to hide from most—the most vulnerable part of her sister that she might not even ready to admit it herself.

"How could it be…?" she murmured.

"I think the lady doth thinks too much," a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Gwen looked up and she could see Allen's deep red hair glowed under the moonlight. His steel blue eyes looked even sharper in the night as well, and his pale skin seemed to blend well in the dark surrounding.

Allen jumped down and landed in front of Gwen and Rod. "Allen! Have you heard—"

"That stupid shit? Of course," Allen shrugged. "I'm still perplexed on how stupid he could be."

Rod pouted. He could understand why Allen could be this cynical, but Neil was still the one who saved his life. This was one tough position to be in.

The vampire's features relaxed. "That's why, I think he needs your companion more than this lady," he said understandingly. "Your instincts told you the same, I bet."

"But…"

He put a sassy hand on his hip and made a sweeping motion with his free hand. Normally, it would make a man looked like a sissy, but somehow with Allen that gesture could retain its sass without de-masculinizing him. "No one would dare to approach what a vampire guards… especially when the vampire is me," Allen smirked.

Rod relented. He muttered a quick goodbye to them and headed back to the clinic.

"What are you doing at this time?"

"Hunting."

Gwen grimaced when she imagined the gruesome scenery of Allen and his feast. "How often do you… eat?"

"Depends on what I managed to get the last time," Allen replied. "The bigger the game was, it would sustain me longer. Average would be two weeks."

"I see…"

"I'm touched by your interest in my lifestyle," Allen smirked playfully. "But we don't have to talk about things that make you feel uncomfortable, you know. It would be against my principle to distress a lady."

Gwen nodded absent-mindedly as Allen was amazed at her apparent disinterest, and lack of fear, in him.

They walked alongside the fading moon. Glancing at her side profile, Allen couldn't help but to think about _her_: the blazing flame he tried to seal away in his immortal, cold heart. With hindsight, everything happened during that one night, with a question she posed at him at a night just like this.

_The moon is beautiful, isn't it?_

Even now he could not fathom why she asked such a question during a fading moon. Similarly, he could not see how something so ephemeral, like a human, could be so beautiful that it hurts. Then again, he _felt_ it, enough to know that it was real.

The flame still burned in his heart.

* * *

Neil woke up to a burning pain in his injured arm and leg. His body felt unbelievably warm, too. He groaned in pain.

He heard a rustling sound coming from his side and then there was something soft and cold pressed against his forehead lightly. It didn't make his pain go away, but at least more bearable. Neil opened his eyes carefully and saw Reine looking over him.

"W…What are you…?"

"Save your breath," she cut him off. "I want to be here."

Neil remembered Mark's warning:_ every time your hearts are open to each other… your power will reach you back…_

"Don't," he warned. "Don't…"

He grabbed Reine's hand and glared at her. "Leave."

"Why?"

It was a dumb question, she knew. It was not the first time; Gwen shooed her away after her head was shaved bald a few years ago. She did that, too, when she learned that she had lost her left eye. It was normal, she had learned, for people to just shut everyone else while they fell to their lowest point. She should have known better than to hurt him even further. But still, It was then the pain assaulted her again. Reine gripped her chest and gasped for air. Neil held his breath.

_Dammit!_

Neil tried to reach out to catch her, forgetting his own condition. In the end, he fell down from the bed and tangled himself in the IV line connected to his remaining arm.

He remembered what one of those hags told him:

_The arm which stretched out to be her sword and the leg which stood tall to be her shield… we shall take them away._

_Right, _he thought bitterly as he looked at his maimed arm and leg. _Now I'm no more than a burden._

He glanced at her; it was faint, but he could hear her breathing. She still had some time left, although he had no way knowing how long.

"Dammit…"

Suddenly, he felt another presence in the room. He looked up and saw a woman, dressed in a sleek magenta dress with golden clasps on her shoulders. Her long hair was light colored, while her eyes were soft green. She was carrying a folded fan in her hands. She smiled at him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh, dear, you called for me yet you don't know me?"

"I didn't call for anyone."

"You did," she chuckled. "When you felt helpless while wanting to save her… out of your love."

Neil narrowed his eyes as the lady walked slowly towards him. "I am Aphrodite, the goddess of love," she declared. "Your heart reached out to me."

"I don't exactly subscribe to Greek beliefs."

Aphrodite made an audible 'tsk tsk' sound while unfolding her fan and fanned it lightly for a short while before folding it again, all done in one smooth motion. "You say that when you approached Hana's house to tamper with your threads."

"That's…"

"It's okay, it's not a treason, so to speak… many ways to Rome, they say these days."

"What are you doing here?"

She laughed. There was something in her voice—either the lightness, the melody, or whatever—that almost made him fell for her, like I'll-do-anything-for-you kind of fall. Almost.

"First thing first," she pointed her folded fan at him. Slowly, Neil was lifted on from the ground back to his bed, untangled from the IV line. After that, Aphrodite moved Reine to a nearby chair and positioned her in a sitting position. "Okay, this is much better."

When it came to Greek deities, Neil's mind immediately went to Hana. Did Hana call for Aphrodite or something? Is this the real Aphrodite—well, she didn't seem to look like her statues.

"Do you know the saying… beauty is in the eyes of the beholder?" Aphrodite asked, as if reading his mind. "Likewise, my appearance is based on what you deem to be beautiful."

_Oh…_

"Anyways, let's get to business, shall we?" the goddess walked towards his side. "I can't return your limbs because they're taken by the Fates, but I _can_ do something about your lover."

Neil studied her carefully. She seemed to be sincere, but there was something else in her eyes that caught him. Was it sadness? A look of longing?

"I'll sustain her," Aphrodite offered. "Until she reached the average mortality age for humans these days."

"That's… very generous of you," Neil replied. "What do I have to do in return?"

Aphrodite smiled. There was a mix of melancholy and mischief in her smile; it sounded impossible, but she pulled it off. "Be with me."

"_What_?!"

"I'll keep her alive if you agree to spend your existence with me," Aphrodite repeated. "Of course I will let you wander to mortal realm, but nowhere inside the Mist that protected this town… and her, of course."

"Am I supposed to keep this deal a secret from her?"

"That's your choice," the goddess replied. "I will give you some time to recuperate and be with her… but I need your answer _now_."

Neil closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It didn't take him long to get his answer. If this was what it took to keep her alive…

Besides, he knew that someone else would surely keep her safe.

"Alright."

Rod held his breath. He had heard all of the exchange quietly behind the door. The werewolf was aware that Neil probably picked up on his presence. The fact that Neil didn't bust him out meant that he must have wanted him to know about it. He swore he could hear Neil's voice even if only in his head:

_Take care of Reine._

* * *

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^_


	19. The Blushing Rose

Pairs of anxious eyes watched as the metallic leg slowly bent on the knee. "Try rotating the heel," Iroha said.

Nothing happened and the female blacksmith shifted uneasily in nervousness. It would be a shame on her lineage if she couldn't properly craft an artificial limb—then perhaps, it was true what her honourable father had told her: women had no place in forging.

However, her worry—as well as everyone else's in the room—was lifted when the action was done. It wasn't smooth at first—perhaps it's the lubricant—but it gradually improved.

Neil looked at his new limb impassively. It was made from metal—titanium, if he recalled correctly, and coated to give a stainless and rust-resistant properties. Iroha has crafted it so it resembled the bone structure of a real leg, and then added some layers duplicating muscles and flesh for both appearance and added strength. However, it was ironically lighter than his real leg.

"Your arm will be done in a few days," the blacksmith informed. "It demands higher attention to details so that the fingers would work properly."

Neil nodded. Klaus handed over a cane to him. "You should try walking on your new leg, it's also in your best interest to have a fresh air."

Neil took the cane and fitted it in his sole arm. Reine helped him to stand; he didn't protest when she did. Iroha and Klaus moved to the adjacent room to discuss about the artificial limb; it was clear that Klaus was really impressed by the creation, although it was a sudden request.

The blond walked slowly, trying his best not to limp too much, towards the exit. He knew Reine kept her pace such a way that she could come to his assistance immediately and he hated her pity.

"I don't need you babysit me," he grumbled in a low voice.

"I want to," she replied succinctly.

"What a weird woman."

That remarked ended their conversation until they reached the town plaza, where Neil and Reine would usually set up their stall. Rod and Gwen—she had been in excellent conditions these past few days—stood in as their respective substitutes, although Rod spent most of his time assisting Gwen.

There was a third, unfamiliar vendor that caught Reine's interest, setting up her stall at the side of the plaza. That particular vendor, an old woman with a slightly hunched back, wasn't there in the morning when she set up the stall with Gwen.

Before she could ponder even further, Rod's voice caught her attention.

"Yooo Neil!"

Rod and Gwen left their stalls to approach Neil and Reine. "It seems that the leg is working well, huh?" Rod remarked.

"So far, yeah."

"Please don't force yourself…" Gwen chimed in with worry.

Neil nodded.

"Young woman…"

Both Reine and Gwen turned at the shrilly voice, unsure of which one of them the voice was talking to. Much to their surprise, the third vendor had moved from her stall and stood nearby without either of them noticing. The old woman walked slowly and reached out towards Reine.

"Such skin…" she said while caressing the back of the pinkette's palm with her thumb. Reine couldn't be sure whether it was meant as a compliment or an insult instead. "How about a tattoo?"

"Tattoo?"

"Yes," she replied. "A picture speaks a thousand words, they say."

"Let's get one," Neil suggested to the surprise of all.

"Us?" Reine asked hesitatingly.

He nodded.

"What picture, though?" she asked, starting to warm up to the idea.

"I have an idea," the old woman replied. "How about this?"

She produced a picture of single red rose surrounded by snowdrop anemones. "Flowers of love, fitting for a pair of young lovers as you are."

"It looks good, Reine," Gwen said.

"Yeah!" Rod agreed cheerfully.

Reine paused for a moment. Personally, she didn't have any problem with such a tattoo, but what about Neil? Tattoo of flowers didn't seem to suit him.

"Let's get this," he said, surprising her yet again today.

* * *

Reine watched as the old woman carefully carved the picture onto her skin. She chose to put the tattoo on the back of her palm, below the corner between her thumb and index finger. It wasn't as painful as she thought it would be. The old woman started by drawing a thin outline in black, before coloring it with.

What caught her interest was how the red ink didn't appear red on her skin; once the ink seeped into her skin, it disappeared, leaving her skin as pristine as it was.

"It'll take some time for the color to appear, no need to worry," the old woman said, sensing her uneasiness. "Once this rose is in its full bloom of red, it's over."

"Oh, okay."

The old woman smiled as she carefully worked on her craft: a single red rose crowned by snowdrop anemones.

"Do you know the story of these flowers?" the old woman asked as she began to color the first anemone. Unlike the red ink, the white color stayed on her skin upon application.

"The flower that sprung from Adonis' blood," Reine replied.

"Correct," the old woman said. "This fragile flower… so fragile that a mere wind could scatter it… does that not portray the frailty of mortals?"

Reine didn't say anything. She was aware of mythologies, but since it wasn't exactly her field of interest, she only knew the common or famous ones: Adonis was one of them.

"But therein lies the beauty of mortals and love," the old woman continued. "Just like how the beauty of anemone remains even after it was scattered by the wind… true love shall stay no matter how far apart the wind brings it away… an immortal entity born from a mortal, the truest of any legacy."

Unlike Reine, Neil wasn't exactly paying attention to what the old woman's said about love and mortal. Unlike her, he was aware; he knew Rod was, too. His eyes were glued to his wrist, right above the faint blue lines of his veins, where his tattoo had been drawn. It was slightly smaller than Reine's, but was obvious enough against his fair skin. Just like Reine, the rose at the center of his tattoo had not shown its true color yet. His mind was stuck to a sentence she had said long before that:

_Once this rose is in its full bloom red, it's over._

* * *

_The time is ticking away,_

_and only Neil is aware of it_

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review ^^_


	20. Guardian Angel

The fingers slowly folded into the palm, stayed still for a moment, before they stretched out again just like a blooming flower.

"How's it, Neil?" Iroha asked.

"…is good."

His short reply was enough to bring air of relief towards the blacksmith. Reine could see the dark shade under her eyes. "Thank you, Iroha," she said.

"I'm happy to be of assistance," the blacksmith replied with a graceful smile. It was as if the fact that the artificial limbs she had created worked well brought her just as much joy as—or perhaps even more than—the recipient.

Neil slowly reached out to Reine. She twitched slightly at the cold touch of his new fingers before putting her hand over them. He felt nothing at all.

"Thanks…" he murmured as Iroha looked at him apologetically. "This should be enough."

Afterwards, Neil dealt with all the paperwork that needed to be done before the grumpy doctor would discharge him. The latter, of course, did not forget the usual speech about not doing anything reckless, and this time he had went to an even greater length, which was understandable, remembering the severity of Neil's injury.

Reine had told Gwen that she was planning to help Neil to settle back into his house, so she walked back with him. He had tried to take his bag from her, but Reine was having none of it. All the way back to his house, they were bickering about the bag and Reine's plan to cook dinner for him.

"I told you it's fine, woman."

"And I told you I want to do it," Reine retorted as she put down his bag at the corner of the room. "What do you want to eat?"

Neil shrugged. "Anything that comes out not from Klaus' kitchen sounds good enough for me."

Reine chuckled. "I'm sure I can manage that. Just settle down while I'm whipping up something."

* * *

The silver-haired man stood on the tallest branch of the Elder Tree, looking over the town. The sun had just set but the moon was still too shy to make her appearance into the scenery, but there was still enough light to see the town, mainly from the lanterns placed outside of each house. His eyes were transfixed at a certain house, made of bricks; it was the house that Neil and Reine entered earlier. Everything was falling into places just like how he saw it.

"I hope you still remember the rules of the town," a familiar voice said below him. Vaughn looked down and the elderly town mayor greeted him with a calm smile. His looks suggested nothing but hospitality, but Vaughn knew better. Dunhill floated lightly and took the space next to him.

"You know they were humans from the beginning, didn't you?"

"The thought crossed my mind, but I was still surprised that it turned out to be the case."

"You know that mortals negated the barrier you erected against us, didn't you?"

Dunhill took a deep breath. "The town was created to provide safe haven for those who needs it… whoever they are, whatever they are. They were meant to find the town."

"From all place… from all people…"

"I have to admit, it still amazes me how the world could be so big and small at the same time."

* * *

Reine felt something heavy in her chest. It kept bothering her that she did not bother to start a conversation with Neil. The blond, on the other hand, also did not seem to feel the need to have a conversation with the pinkette. With that, they spent their dinner together in silence, except for small favors like passing the sauce. Neil made no comment on her dish, only a slight smile when he found out she was cooking stew—such a homey meal, he thought.

"Let me help with the dishes," Neil offered after both of them finished their meal.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Reine asked. "Your hand…"

"Iroha made it to be stainless."

Reine weighed her options for a moment before eventually nodding at the cloth next to the sink. "I guess I could use some help drying these." Without saying anything, Neil took the cloth and they started cleaning up. Soon, they fell into the comfortable pace of clearing up the dishes.

From where he stood, he could see Reine's tattoo. Just as expected, the red color had become very much visible. Anytime soon, it would reach the full bloom.

After the last plate had been washed and handed over, Reine dried her hand and turned around to find Neil looking at her. "What?"

"You're awfully quiet today."

She chuckled. "I am, am I not?" she admitted. "Honestly, I don't know why. I just feel… weird."

"Weird that I'm back?"

"You've been in the clinic for some time, that's for sure, but that's not it. I'm glad to have you back, but… I don't know. I really don't. I feel weird."

Neil brought up his hand, the hand that could feel the warmth of her skin, to touch her flushed cheek. "This isn't supposed to happen," he mused.

"What is?"

"Us."

Fear caught Reine's heart, enough to catch her breath. "You mean you regretted it?"

He looked into her eyes, green and full of life, so different from when he first saw her. One part of him wanted to tell her the truth; of just how much she could be—and would be—the death of him. Yet, he knew that some truths were better off as secrets, and this was one of them.

He traced his thumb over her warm lips and he noticed that the color of his tattoo was getting brighter by each moment. He leaned in and kissed her, letting the feeling of her lips touching his become the only thing he cared about for that moment.

* * *

Neil put his finger above Reine's lips, feeling relieved when he could feel the warm air hitting it. He then caressed her cheek, so fleetingly so that she wouldn't wake up. He couldn't suppress a chuckle when she curled like a baby in her sleep; he adjusted the blanket to cover her better as he got out from the bed himself.

He put his clothes back on and turned around, taking another look at the view before him: a peacefully sleeping Reine. He knew the more moment he took to stay, the harder it would be to leave. Steeling his resolve—not that he had any choice at this point, anyway—he touched the crown of her head once more and caressed her pink hair.

"You asked once whether you had a guardian angel," he mused in a low voice. "As a matter of fact, you do."

He planted a kiss at the top of her head and turned around. When he opened the front door, a young woman was standing on the other side. Their eyes met. She had green eyes, just like Reine. "Let's go," she said.

Neil nodded and left without looking back.

_To be continued..._

* * *

_**What would happen after Neil left?**_

_**Find out in Safe Haven Season 2!**_

_**Thank you for all your support and patience for this season ^^ I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story! See you in Season 2 ^^**_


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